


The Soulmate Effect

by Azuhelios



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bnior, Confusion and Doubt, Deep Background Stories, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Love at First Sight, M/M, Misunderstandings, Self-Denial, Slow Build, Slow Burn, jinbum, jjp, jjproject, markson
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-09-28
Packaged: 2018-08-08 17:59:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7767682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azuhelios/pseuds/Azuhelios
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The day humanity saw the stars fall from the night sky marked the beginning of an era where infants are born with tattoos that linked themselves to their soulmates. Moreso, these marked humans started showing powers that were somehow bound to their hearts. This story follows a group of boys in repairing their individual broken pasts as they start their journey together as GOT7, love and angst intertwining along the way; with of course a little hint of magic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

The action of falling in love is usually not as simple as some may think. Those willing to go through the trials of Cupid will either experience heart-wrenching pain or pure bliss. However, earth's inhabitants had long gotten used to the push and pull one will feel in their hearts during these moments. First loves, high school sweethearts and love at first sights were intertwined with heartbreaks, divorces and goodbyes around the world. The good and bad perfectly harmonized in unison.

It all happened on the very last midnight of the year twenty sixteen. Everything humans knew about love changed forever. It was the day the stars rained down from the heavens.

The harmony was broken.

Every single news channel around the world showcased the beautiful and mysterious shower of glitter running across the night sky. The earth's inhabitants were all awestruck, admiring the night sky's gift for the new year. Pictures were taken and memories were made. However, the sky full of falling stars won’t be the only memory from that night that will be ingrained in the thoughts of the people.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

A young newlywed couple from Hong Kong stood side by side just outside of their house and marveled at the sight before them. Eyes wide and mouths slightly opened as the black canvas above them was drawn with white stars that dissipated as fast as they appeared.

"Honey, isn’t it wonderful. It's almost like the sky is putting on a show just for us." the man muttered, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist pulling her closer as he raised his hand to point at the star-clad sky; his wife laughing at his obvious attempt at a cheesy comment.

The woman was in awe of the sight in front of her. Not once in her life has she seen something so breath taking and chilling all at the same time. Although, she wasn't sure whether the chill that ran down her spine was because of the cold winter night or the feeling of something unknown. "This is a perfect way to end the year. Looks like this will be an unforgettable upcoming new year." she said, snuggling in her husband's broad shoulder as an icy winter wind passed by her skin.

Unbeknownst to them and the entire world, this single event will change the course of humanity forever. As the man was making his way back towards their front door, the woman suddenly held her ground and grabbed her husband's forearm. To her surprise, she didn’t command her limbs, It was almost as if her brain decided to act on impulse against her own hesitations. But, she didn't stutter as she turned towards her husband and gave him a warm smile. She looked back at him for only a moment before returning her eyes towards the star-littered sky. "I figured it out" she whispered to the night sky, as if she was thanking the stars.

The man was surprised in her wife's sudden change in aura. All he could do was follow her stare and come back to her side once again where he faithfully belonged. He knew that his wife was thinking and was currently carefully choosing the right words to say. He stood still and waited for her answer. After a few moments, she turned towards him, squeezed his forearm and gave him the same bright smile he fell in love with years ago.

"Jackson Wang." The words falling out of her mouth effortlessly as she stared at her husband, reminiscing the day they first met on a similar cold December night.

Her husband only nodded in response with a genuine wide grin as he smoothly rubbed the growing mound on his wife's midsection. The woman turned and took her lover's hand in hers with a warm squeeze and proceeded to lead him towards the house. The young couple soon departed back to their bedroom, oblivious to the new world that they will soon awake to.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

As the clock hit midnight and the skies no longer bared strokes of white and yellow, the world was silent for a few minutes - until all hell began to break loose. Hospitals around the world were on full red alert as the gift of the stars started making its mark on earth. Babies that were born after midnight shocked hospital crews all over. Every single newborn was marked with a black tattoo on a random location on their delicate skin, some were small and some were big; leaving the world confused and distraught. As soon as the newfound information began to break headlines in countries all over the globe, the scientific community started looking for answers before the supernatural phenomenon started causing more confusion or worse, chaos.

A few silent days passed as parents around the world began to accept that their newborn child now bears an inerasable mark on their once pristine skin. They had no choice but to accept the fate that their child might have acquired due to these mysterious markings. Humans were abnormally quiet the next few years as science tried to uncover the road that led to the answer that solved these supernatural tattoos, leaving the entire world hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

Their first clue came years later when viral videos of teenagers and babies achieving supernatural feats soon plastered itself on the internet. Some could run twice as fast as a normal human being, while others could fly and levitate towards the sky. It was soon discovered that only humans with the taboo markings obtained supernatural powers that seemed to belong to a distant planet. Whether it be the ability to control light or the ability to summon water out of thin air, newfound abilities were surfacing from infants to teenagers at an alarming rate. It blew the earth off of its feet, and its inhabitants soon realized what caused this worldwide phenomenon. The night of the falling stars marked a new chapter on the books of human nature. A gift given by the heavens and clouds above. They gave humans magic.

Soon after, the humans called this phenomenon the "Soulmate Effect" and for one specific reason only. It was revealed that the tattoo on one's body was a hint as to what their soulmate's magic was. The very instance a pair of soulmates lock eyes is the moment when each of their powers rose from within their bodies.

Ironically, this magic only unlocks itself with the very emotion that rivals its sheer power and ability to change the world.

Love. 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Mommy, what is this weird looking black thingy, it's a bit itchy. It kinda looks cool though" the child exclaimed as he rubbed his upper shoulder with a bemused expression.

The mother turned around and stared at her child for a few moments with an amused expression. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, but her irrational worries soon disappeared and were replaced with happy memories about the most memorable night of her life. "I see… Alright then, I'll tell you a story about the night where the stars fell down from the sky and how that little drawing on your shoulder can lead to your soulmate." the woman sighed enthusiastically as she finished drying the dishes and was now making her way towards the dinner table.

"What! What are soulmates mama?! And I thought stars were glued onto the sky, that’s what daddy told me!" the boy said with immense pride and a pout as he followed his mom.

The mother couldn’t help but smile and let a small chuckle out because of her bright son's expression, reminiscent of his father. "My soulmate is your daddy hun and stars usually do stay in the night sky, except for that one special day. It was like magic, you wouldn't have believed your eyes." She wrapped her arms around the small boy and placed him alongside her on the couch all snuggled up.

She turned to look at her son and was met with a confused but curious look on her son's face. She then wiped off some remaining ketchup on the crook of his cheek, ignoring the pout the six year old gave her. She couldn't believe he was growing up so fast already and soon started to feel bittersweet. However, she shook out of her motherly trance and proceeded to beam at the light of her world, putting a gentle arm around his tiny shoulders.

"Now listen closely. Okay _Jackson_?"

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Thank you all for reading and i hope you all enjoyed the sneak peek to the story, stay tuned!
> 
> Take care~
> 
> Note Pt.2: While this story will include the characters having special magic abilities, there will be NO fighting/action scenes. This fanfic will be focused more on the soulmate aspect with a slight magical twist!


	2. Jackson Wang Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (09/03/16): This was edited pretty heavily, as I wasn't too happy with the original draft that I had posted. There are no new plot added however. Just added a little more to convey Jackson's thoughts more.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"You'll always remember us right dear? Whenever you miss us, we'll be right over here." the woman said as she placed her hand over her son's heart.

The son stared at his mother like it was the last day he'll ever see her smile and forced himself to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Mom, please don't do this. You're going to make me cry in a crowded airport. I'll treat you guys anywhere you want when I visit! I'll try to call whenever I can!" he stuttered as his voice began to betray his resolve.

The woman quickly separated from the tight grip that she had on her husband's waist and then proceeded to wrap her small arms tightly around her bundle of light. She couldn't believe that her once little baby was going to another country all by himself to pursue his dreams. Of course she was proud of him, but it was her own motherly instinct that broke her and forced droplets to streak her face as she hugged her son. "I love you _Jackson_ , please remember that."

 

***THIS IS THE LAST BOARDING CALL FOR FLIGHT 46B TO SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA. PLEASE PROCEED TO GATE 4 IMMEDIATELY FOR BOARDING.***

 

Jackson was rudely cut out of his daydream as a gruff person ran into him and screamed to watch where he was going. His hand rubbed his right shoulder reflexively where a black tree was drawn on the entirety of his toned upper arm, the branches reaching all the way to his upper back and the roots circling his elbow. His mom always told him that the mark on his shoulder was a hint on what  _his soulmate's_  magic was. He's always imagined his soulmate having the ability to control nature or something, or maybe he could make him infinite salads he thought as he joked to himself.

Truth be told, Jackson has always thought of himself as a hopeless romantic. Being raised by such nurturing and caring parents led Jackson to be just as affectionate towards other people, so it was no surprise that he couldn't wait until he met his own soulmate. He also wondered quite often what type of magic will awaken within him when he finally meets the person he's been waiting for his entire life.

Jackson couldn't help but feel jealous of the people surrounding him that boasted their magical powers. He glanced around and saw countless of couples walking in the busy plaza he was currently in. His eyes landed on a pair that irked him, causing him to squint his eyes to focus his vision. Jackson soon realized that the couple was _levitating,_ practically floating like it's no big deal. Although, Jackson was more concerned on meeting his actual soulmate, getting a magic power alongside it was just a bonus. He knew he would treat his soulmate as if they were his everything, just like how his mother had taught him. Jackson would get them all the treats they wanted and take them to all the places their feet wanted to reach. He was _definitely_ ready to see his soulma-

 

_Wait._

 

_Shit._

 

His reverie was soon broken when a sudden realization hit him. He didn’t really know where he was going. He was never really good with directions he thought to himself as he paced back and forth in the center of a busy commercial plaza. An email from JYP Entertainment only gave him very brief directions to the building. He didn’t really care though, he had a few hours to explore the city before the official JYP Trainees Meeting. Jackson had always enjoyed finding the nooks and crannies of places he's never been to before, often conversing with the locals to obtain it's secrets. Talking came easy to Jackson, becoming almost second nature to ask someone how their day went, whether it be a close friend or a bank teller.

 _My stomach is kind of hurting though. I should probably get something to eat before heading to the meeting,_ Jackson decided, his hands rubbing his empty stomach, groaning when he realized that the last time he ate was several hours ago.

Jackson had always wanted to be a Korean idol when he was younger, watching groups like 2AM and 2NE1 dance and sing with absolute perfection. Although fencing and sports were still a big part of his childhood, he loved to perform and capture the hearts of huge crowds. He simply loved making people smile and laugh. Jackson remembered how his mother always told him that she was her beacon of light, which made Jackson feel all giddy inside. The reason Jackson wanted to become an idol was not only to sing and dance to his heart's content, but it was also to become that same shining beacon to the entire nation. That was Jackson's true dream, to see a nation full of smiles. He knew it was a big idea, and it was probably irrational, but it was the drive that allowed him to wake up every morning and face the day with confidence. 

However, he still felt a bit surreal that he was chosen among thousands of people that auditioned to be an idol trainee under JYP Entertainment. He's heard that the training process was intense and was constantly filled with long nights of either learning difficult choreography or hitting the right pitch for a new song. But Jackson was ready to pour his all into this once in a lifetime opportunity. It wasn't everyday Jackson received an opportunity that could eventually change his entire life.

 _I'm going to make the entire world smile. Just you wait mom and dad,_ Jackson thought while admiring the cloudless light blue sky.

He quickly shook himself into focus and looked around, trying to find some sort of sign as to where he should go. He noticed a lot of little cafes and restaurants that littered the big plaza, sighing to himself when he realized that he couldn't make up his mind as to what to eat. While scanning his surroundings, his dark brown eyes caught a familiar flash of neon light, a wide grin suddenly appearing on his face as he started to run towards it.

 _Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. It's an ice cream parlor. I haven't had gone to one in forever,_ his mouth watering as he opened the front doors to the shop.

The ice cream parlor was very tiny and looked family owned. Neon tiles littered the entire circumference of the shop, giving it an almost 70's vibe to the entirety of the room. It was impossible to calm the skip to Jackson's steps as he admired the vast amount of ice cream flavours, though he still had to watch his weight. Jackson was pretty fit and muscular in all the right places, being a national gold medalist for fencing. However, Jackson always had a nagging feeling that he should look _better._ He knew that it wasn't healthy to have such a mindset towards his body, but it was something that was of particular importance to him ever since his childhood. Once upon a time, Jackson wasn't exactly the _most_ attractive teenager, his appearance vastly different from today.

Jackson shuddered, remembering his traumatic high school appearance, forcing him to glance around the parlour and line up for a treat of his own. Though, to Jackson's demise, he realized that the waiting line was bigger than he had originally thought. In order to kill some time, Jackson pulled out his phone and started going through some emails and texts absentmindedly. He was going to cherish his last moments with his cell phone, since JYP has notified the trainees that cellular usage was completely forbidden during training. Jackson thought that was pretty overkill, he was worried that he wouldn't be able to call his parents. But, rest assured, Jackson thanked the internet gods for the creation of Skype, easing his troubled heart.

He soon started to fall into another trance as memories and pictures of his parents flooded his mind, his hand unconsciously raising towards the left side of his chest. He really did miss them, and all he could feel is how much of a burden he would be if music and dance turned out to be the wrong choice. He could have easily made his parents proud by continuing his fencing career, as he was pretty proficient with a sabre. While accepting the offer to become a JYP trainee was a dream come true, Jackson couldn't help but feel like there is a substantial amount of risk involved if he didn't live up to the company's expectations.

Jackson's mind continued to fall deeper and deeper into his worries until an uneasy feeling overcame him. A shiver ran down his spine, causing him to visibly tremble slightly. He knew this feeling all too well…He whipped his head around by instinct and his eyes met a piercing gaze that could stop anyone dead in their tracts, belonging to a slightly familiar chestnut haired stranger.

 _Damn,_ he hissed in his thoughts as he quickly looked the handsome stranger up and down. The first thing that caught his eyes, other than the guy's seriously expensive clothes, was a very small black snowflake mark above his collar bone. But, Jackson couldn't help but feel slightly weirded out at the pale stranger's longer than usual stare. But, Jackson being _Jackson_ , he flashed him his pearly whites and bowed a full ninety degrees as his eyes flew to the floor. "Oh my gosh, even his shoes are so nice." he impulsively thought, his eyes landing on the stranger's footwear.

Jackson heard a small deep chuckle come out of the boy's mouth as he stood up. Jackson smiled towards the taller stranger and noticed how the piercing gaze turned into curious eyes.

"You're a weird kid. I take it you're new here?" the attractive stranger asked with a growing grin on his face.

 _Rude. Did he just call me weird…,_ Jackson thought, his sassy brain getting the best of him. Though, Jackson continued to flash a bright grin towards the stranger, not faltering from his rather rude comment.

"Yeup I am! My name is Jackson. Jackson Wang. I just got out of my flight from Hong Kong. Sorry if my Korean isn't perfect. By the way, how did you know I was new?" he asked as he put both hands behind his head, trying to look as cool as possible, since it was clear that this person had charisma to spare.

"Well first of all, your phone case is the Hong Kong flag" he pointed with his ring clad index finger. "And well, you looked like a lost kid in a mall trying to find his parents. Also, you spaced out really hard there, I thought you weren't breathing for a second." he explained, mimicking Jackson's previous staring contest with the wall as he plastered a sly smirk on his face.

"Im not exactly completely lost." Jackson told the broad shouldered teen as he bit his bottom lip and crossed his arms. "I have a map of where im supposed to go, but I'm so bad with directions. I'll probably end up in Japan instead, somehow crossing the ocean." Jackson muttered to himself, knowing full well that even if he said it as a joke, it will _actually_ happen if he tried.

A high pitched laugh came from the stranger, who's name Jackson still didn’t know. Jackson was starting to wonder why this guy was talking to him in the first place, though Jackson was glad he made him laugh. His thoughts were cut short when the server asked what ice cream flavor he wanted, causing Jackson's entire persona to switch into elementary school kid who just saw the neighbourhood ice cream truck. "Strawberry Shortcake please!". Jackson's eyes immediately lighting up, his feet slightly bouncing on the brightly colored tiles when the rose colored ice cream with bits of white was being scooped into a fresh waffle cone, completely forgetting about the boy he was just talking to.

Jackson started to indulge in his ice cream, until he remembered the stranger he was literally just talking to before he got distracted by his favorite dessert. "What was your name by the way? Also, are you my hyung [older brother] or not? I'm twenty years old." Jackson blurted bluntly, swiping his tongue up and down the cold treat in his hand. Jackson could tell that the boy was surprised on how straightforward he was, but he was pretty used to those types of reactions. Often times, he couldn't help how blunt he was, words often flying out of his mouth without passing a social filter.

"Ah. Sorry Jackson. Name's Jaebum, but my friends usually call me JB. And I'm not sure, I'm also the same age as you, but I was born in January" he answered as he took his dark chocolate flavored ice cream, quickly flashing a killer smile towards the female server, causing her cheeks to flash a bright red.

Jackson raked his fingers through his blonde hair as he tried to convince himself that this guy looked twenty and not a runway model.

 

_Jeez. Is this the Korean standard for beauty nowadays? I have a lot of work ahead of me…_

 

"I see, you're older by two months" Jackson pouted, a habit he's gotten used to doing often when he felt disappointment - _or_ just wanted to be cute-. "Well then. Nice to meet you, Jaebum-hyung." Jackson finished, genuinely smiling as he took Jaebum's hand in his, shaking it firmly. 

The two walked out of the 70's themed ice cream shop and continued to talk about several random things while they were enjoying the scenic views of Seoul. Jackson told him about Hong Kong and how he won gold in a fencing championship, while Jaebum led him around the large plaza they were in. The conversation flowed without effort between them as if they've known each other for years. Jackson thought this is what it must be like having an older brother that took care of you.

Jackson was glad that he made a friend so quickly upon touching down in Seoul. Although, he was still curious on why Jaebum, who clearly looked like he had places to be, was talking to him in the first place. "Hey JB-hyung, why were you staring at me earlier in the ice cream parlour? You checking me out, huh?" Jackson whispered lowly, his sarcastic words flowing without any sense of filter, earning a slight choking sound from the older.

He noticed Jaebum slightly falter in his confident steps and turned around towards him meekly. "Shut up Jackson." Jaebum quickly exclaimed with a chuckle, his strong posture returning. "I couldn't help but notice one of the e-mails on your phone. It was the one about the directions to the JYP Entertainment building. Are you heading there now by any chance?" Jaebum asked, pointing his finger towards the general direction towards the Jackson's destination.

Jackson nodded as he blissfully popped the final piece of the waffle cone in his mouth. It then dawned on him that Jaebum looked extremely familiar, as if he has seen him before for a few times. He gave the smiling older boy a quick glance up and down, and then it hit him like a truck.

 

_Oh no. Fuc-_

 

"HYUNG. HYUNG. I'm sorr-sorry I didn't recognize you sooner. You're JB from the Kpop group, JJProject, right?!" Jackson shouted in panic as he bowed over and over again, his voice raising in panic by the second.

Jaebum's effort in trying to supress laughing like an idiot failed when Jackson kept bending at a perfect ninety degree angle like an automated robot. "Calm down Jackson, calm down. It's not a big deal." Jaebum sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "I can take you there now, since I'm on my way back anyways to the new batch of trainees' first meeting"

The blond haired foreigner from Hong Kong couldn't believe he met an idol already, let alone from the same company he's in. "Hyung, you're my saviour. Please help me. I would have missed the meeting if it weren't for you. I owe you my entire life." Jackson exaggerated as he hooked his arm around on the older boy's elbow and shot him the most vulnerable puppy eyes he can muster.

Jaebum was taken aback for a moment when Jackson's arm suddenly clutched around his elbow. Although, he didn’t really mind it since he could tell that this was who Jackson was, a bundle of impulsive energy with the affection of an intoxicated teenager. The young blonde also vaguely reminded him of his little brother, but he quickly pushed that reminder in the back of his mind. "Ah Jackson, don't worry man, we're in the same company now. We're basically brothers." he chuckled as his hand went to ruffle Jackson's flawlessly swept hair.

"Brothers?!" Jackson screeched, his eyes lighting up as he squeezed Jaebum's upper arm, earning a soft wince from the owner. "So does that mean hyung can buy me food now as a treat, ‘cause you know…that’s what good older brothers do?" Jackson practically begged as he tugged down playfully on Jaebum's forearm like a child asking for their presents on Christmas Eve.

"Don't push it Jackson." Jaebum smirked sarcastically as he took the unsuspecting Jackson in for a headlock.

Jackson was struggling to get out of the hold, noticing that Jaebum was insanely strong, despite his own training as an athlete. However, as Jackson was about to scream to shake Jaebum off, he suddenly felt Jaebum's arm around him tense up. Jackson's eyes traveled towards Jaebum's own pair of eyes, noticing that they were staring at Jackson's shoulder that was now half bare due to his sleeve now being slightly elevated.

"That's my soulmate tattoo hyung. Isn't it beautiful?" Jackson explained as he freed himself from the older boy's grasp, lifting his sleeve to show his mark in its full glory. "It's supposed to be an evergreen tree. You know the ones that have leaves that never change colours and fall off? You see…I've always interpreted my mark as a sign that my future feelings for my soulmate will be eternal, just like the needles of an evergreen tree during the harsh winter season. Cheesy isn't it? How 'bout you hyung, what's yours?" Jackson explained quietly as he traced the vibrant and detailed mark on his shoulder.

Jackson raised his eyes towards his hyung and easily noticed that Jaebum was slightly rigid, making it clear through his slightly knitted eyebrows. "Ah, sorry about that Jaebum-hyung. I can't help but fantasize sometimes about my soulmate. My mom used to always tell me countless of stories about it when I was younger. I guessed it rubbed off on me…" Jackson nervously chuckled as he rubbed his senior's shoulder, hoping that it would calm down his frozen demeanor.

"No, no, no Jackson. It's completely fine" Jaebum immediately interjected as he shrugged off Jackson's hand on his shoulder rather gruffly. "It's just that I don't really believe in those sort of things. I mean I do have this mark on me" he said, briefly flashing Jackson a tiny snowflake that lied just above his right collar bone. "But, what if I don’t fall in love with my soulmate and I end up loving someone else? Would I have to give up on the other person and leave everything behind, just so I can be with my pre-registered soulmate." Jaebum spat with a little more venom in his mouth than he intended. "It just never made sense to me."

Jaebum suddenly looked towards the ground as he realized that he probably screwed his friendship with the younger teen since he didn't have a chance to reign in his anger. The chestnut haired idol gulped loudly as he swallowed his pride and slowly raised his head up and to his surprise, Jackson's expression did not falter from his seemingly eternal upbeat attitude. Although, he could sense that there was some pity mixed in with his signature bright smile. "Sorry about that Jackson, I didn't mean to explode like that…" Jaebum muttered under his breath as he turned away from Jackson's face, forcing himself to focus on a nearby bench where a family of four enjoyed each other's company.

Truth be told, Jackson was pretty shocked in Jaebum's sudden turn of demeanor. However, he didn't want his new friend to feel like he completely destroyed their kinship with his sudden outburst. After all, he enjoyed the company of Jaebum, and he wasn't about to let this ruin the connection they had just accomplished. "It's alright hyung! No need to be sorry. Love is different for every single person. Anyways, Jaebum-hyung is handsome enough. There's probably tons of girls, or guys if you're into that, lined up to get a chance with you" Jackson beamed as he put an arm around Jaebum's slightly shaking shoulder, hoping that his teasing didn't go too far.

In an instant, Jackson could tell that Jaebum's expression and posture started to soften and began to slowly lower down his guard, easing Jackson further. To avoid further awkwardness and to save the remnants of Jaebum's pride, Jackson decided to grasp the brown haired idol's wrist and started to pull the idol towards a nearby ramyeon stand to try and persuade Jaebum to buy him food for the second time. "Come on hyung, this way!" he shouted as he noticed Jaebum struggling to keep up with his speed. But to Jackson's relief, he swore he saw a slight smile on the corner of his friend's lips.

Jackson was extremely happy that he got along so well with Jaebum. Well, that and the free ramen in his tummy also helped made him go into a state of food induced euphoria. It was nice having someone to talk to in his age group in this foreign country, even if Jaebum would constantly correct his Korean with a smug smirk. However, Jackson couldn't seem to forget the quick change of attitude when he mentioned the soulmate tattoos and he definitely knew that there was a story behind his reaction. But, he shrugged it off swiftly and was more than content on having a new best friend to tease.

The Hong Kong native swung both of his toned arms behind his head as they exited the ramyeon stand and walked towards the famous JYP headquarters, where Jackson's childhood dream was about to begin. Jackson was more than ready for this. He's been preparing for this moment his entire life.

Jackson abruptly grabbed Jaebum's wrist as his impatience getting the best of him, essentially dragging Jaebum towards their location, despite the older teen scolding him that his wrist was about to break.

"Hurry hyung! We're gonna miss all the refreshments that they give out in the beginning." Jackson howled as he turned back to give Jaebum a wide grin.

"Wait what…Jackson we just ate and who said that there will be refreshments waiting for us in the first place." Jaebum shouted back, thinking how he could not fathom the bottomless pool of energy this new trainee had within him. But he couldn’t help but smile along and feel uplifted considering Jackson's personality was unnaturally contagious. Maybe escaping the JYP building for a small break wasn't such a bad idea after all.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

_My name is Jackson Wang._

_I come from a family that taught me a lot of things._

_How to smile._

_How to laugh._

_How to protect others._

_And most importantly,_

_How to love._

_I've been showered by kisses and warm hugs all my life._

 

_However,_

_There's one lesson I have yet to learn._

_That is,_

_The language of the heart._

_A skill only learnt within the presence of your other._

_I often wonder where he is,_

_Hoping that one day,_

_We can teach each other the heart's phrases and words_

_Uncovering its secrets piece by piece together._

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

As a newly formed brotherhood continues to blossom in the heart of downtown South Korea, an antagonistic scene started to unfold in the gates of Seoul airport.

"I can't believe this. I can't do this. Oh god, I feel like vomiting. Fuck me." a thin and auburn haired teenager swore to himself in tangible panic as he forced himself to silence his dry heaves before he collapsed. He then frantically searched his pockets for his phone with his shaking hands and desperately started to scroll down his contacts, looking for a specific name to call as he flew by the exit of the airport.

"I just landed. I'll talk to you later tonight okay? Thanks again for everything. I owe you my life." the Taiwanese native's voice shaking as he pressed the red button on his phone and whipped open the door of a taxi cab, forcing himself inside.

The heavily agitated pale faced teen was dragged back to reality when the driver asked him where he was headed to. He took in a final large breath as he quickly rolled down his black long sleeves to cover the plethora of music notes that ran along his thin forearm, engraved on his fair skin since birth. He then anxiously combed his slim fingers through his carefully styled hair to regain his composure as he willed himself to catch his breath before he opened his mouth to finally stutter.

"JYP Entertainment Headquarters please."

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I'd just like to clarify that this is a completely different world from our reality, so everything won't be exactly the same in how they started their journey as GOT7 (ie. Hair colors and such). Thank you to BubblesofColours for pointing out the discrepancy <3.
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the obscure ending at the end ;)
> 
> Take care~


	3. Mark Tuan Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!WARNING: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/BLOOD TRIGGER WARNINGS!!
> 
> !!!Please proceed with caution, this chapter can be skipped if wished, as the main plot lines will be mentioned subtly again in the next chapter!!!

***-***-***-***-***-***-***  
"You fucking useless _slut_ !" a heavy man reeking of alcohol howled, his voice loud enough to shatter mountains as he looked down on a frail woman desperately trying to inch herself away to safety in a corner. 

She forcefully shut her eyes, both hands grasping her chest as the booming voice caused her eardrum to ring violently; the miniscule hairs surrounding her skin tense -just like her entire body- as she prepared to harbour her husband's drunken rage. 

" _One_ -" she counted in her head as a hand violently flew to her fair skin. 

" _two…three_ -"

She winced under her breath as two steel-weighted palms made contact in succession with her quickly reddening flesh.

She could endure this one more time she hoped; it's not like it was any different from the rest. After all, their fight was due to a discussion about their son, whom she loved and nurtured with the entirety of her weakening heart. She compelled herself to bring forth memories of her child that weren't contaminated by monstrous drunken nights and silenced tears; in order to weaken the whimpers threatening to fall out of her lips.

"- _four_ -",

She continued to bite her bruising tongue as she vividly tries to remember the memory of his first day of school; how she put her arms around the sobbing child before she let him board the school bus. That was her life mission after all; to numb any pain her son will ever feel in his life. She vowed to protect her son's innocence from every toxic being for as long as her lungs gave life to her body; even if the serpent itself was of blood.

She didn't care that she had to endure these hot flashes of pain almost every night, all she wanted was to open her eyes every morning and have a chance to see her favorite crooked little smile.

"- _five_ -",

Her head whipped violently to the side as her eyes were shot open, now realizing that she was in the corner of her son's nursery room, her bruised thigh beside the baby blue wooden crib; still littered with toys inside. She couldn’t help but smile despite the searing white pain that suddenly rose from her spine. 

"What the hell are you smiling about you _wench_ ?" the fat drunkard hissed with curdling venom coating his tongue as he raised his fist. 

She knew this was it. Memories of her son could no longer give her the strength she needed to keep her eyes from sealing shut, considering the sheer amount of agony she felt coursing through her entire body. 

Her vision started to falter just as the remaining well of her energy was drained out of her borderline lifeless body, causing her to fall on her side. However, in a matter of seconds, her body began to sense a myriad of things; 

her mouth tasted metallic copper that belonged to a fluid that accumulated over the previous seemingly endless seconds,

her weak ears heard the drop of human weight and a blunt object falling to the ground,

her purple broken nose inhaled a musty scent of iron that didn't belong to her,

her purple skin suddenly sensitive to the recognizable touch that were now forcefully carrying her limp body in his long thin arms,

and finally, a flash of auburn strands and a familiar crooked smile was the last thing her half-lidded eyes laid upon as her resolve began to wither.

A smile gradually appeared on the fragile woman, as she began to muster the final remnants of her remaining energy to open her chapped lips.

" _Mark_. " she mouthed silently, as she finally succumbed to the darkness.

 _Six._

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

Mark quickly exited the yellow cab, shaking himself into focus as he stood in front of a familiar large building in front of his eyes. The thin teenager remained stoic for a moment, the thoughts of a cold wooden baseball bat in his palm and the sensation of the warm liquid running down his arm quickly flooding his mind once again. 

He didn’t want to think of the consequences of his actions. He dreads the day he finds out that he acquired a written file of assault; though he didn't have a bone in his body that had an ounce of regret. He quickly jolted himself back to reality again, as he looked towards the clear blue sky, forcing himself to calm his hypersensitive nerves. 

Mark headed towards the entrance of JYP headquarters, composure slightly hardening with courage. But, he couldn’t help _continue_ to feel uneasy; since his mom had forced him to flee the country to avoid his abusive father, who was now behind steel bars. However, Mark knew the real reason his mom willingly sent him away was so that he could practice what he loved doing the most; which was to dance. 

He knew how much his mom had to sacrifice for him, she'd do anything to see him smile. As she lied on the hospital bed littering with bruises of varying colours, she still managed to be selfless and coax Mark into pursuing his dream. Although he was worried for his Mom's well-being, Mark knew that there was absolutely no way in declining; when he knew her true intentions lied in his happiness. He owed his life to the woman that unconditionally loved him, even when she was forced to dance with the devil. 

Mark's right arm clutched his left arm, rubbing the engraved black music notes up and down as he continued to will his senses to lower in activity. "Well then," he muttered to himself, quickly fixing his now slightly damp auburn hair, which he wasn’t sure was because of the summer heat or the little panic attack that had just ensued. "This is all for you _Mom_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> I just wanted to do a short chapter based on Mark's background family dynamic, as I'm pretty busy with studying for an exam coming up; but i really wanted to release a chapter, please excuse the typos/grammar errors ._.  
> Don't worry, the next one will be significantly longer and in Mark's perspective again!  
> I hope you all enjoyed the short chapter, and i hope it wasn't too violent for some. 
> 
> Take care!


	4. Mark Tuan Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!WARNING: Very slight possible blood/violence triggers in the beginning of the chapter.!!! I promise Markson makes its appearance here :D

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

A slightly shaken Mark found himself in the JYPE's washroom since he figured he looked horrible and needed to at least look presentable after what had happened in the airport. "Gah…" Mark muttered to himself, fixing his messy auburn locks in front of a mirror as he realized that he was extremely early; the trainee's meeting not starting for another few hours. What was he going to do for another three grueling hours he thought with a huff under his breath.

Truth be told, Mark completely lost track of time as soon as his converse-clad feet touched South Korean ground. Of course he felt some uneasiness during his flight, he wasn't sure whether it was due to the turbulence or because his heart was ready to beat right out of his chest. Mark knew he was nervous; he had every right to be he thought, but he never knew that it would hit him _that_ hard. It was almost as if a freight train had a one way express lane towards his heart. All his mind could fathom while being forcefully strapped in the tight airplane for hours was what he had left back home. Mark was _definitely_ going to be leaving with sweat stains on his black long sleeve baseball shirt.

Mark tried to push away his thoughts of regret and worry during the entirety of the long flight; the airline's crusty snacks not helping curb his hunger as his empty stomach wasn't making him feel any better, just like the annoying flight attendant blatantly flirting with him. Mark wondered how his poor mother was feeling and coping with her woun-

_Wait._

Mark had to stop himself right there since images of those sickeningly yellow and purple bruises started to burn into his mind again, churning his empty gut in the worst way possible; he was _not_ about to puke in an airplane.

***-**-***-***-***-***-***

Mark was playing his Nintendo 64 like any other Friday night in his dimly lit small room, content with having just finished a grueling school week; filled with midterms and endless assignments. Mark was just about to hit a new high score, when suddenly he heard an angry voice in the conjoining room, breaking his focus from the game and causing his breathing to falter. At first, Mark lied to himself and pretended it came from the television; but the sound became louder, until the booming voice started to pierce his dollar store headphones.

His naturally thin body suddenly started to involuntary shake as he stood up slowly from where he sat and made his way quietly towards the deafening sound; putting an immense amount of energy for each step, as if one mistake could spell the end of his life. As he got closer and closer, his heart beat started to palpitate out of his chest and was preparing to stop in the chilling anticipation of what might be happening in the next room.

It all happened in a split **instant**.

Mark's entire body freezing as if all of his blood was drained by the icy aura of the man before him. His eyes desperately trying not to blink; as to not miss the horrifying picture that ingrained itself into Mark's memory. Mark blinked once and his peripheral vision confirmed that he was in the nursery room. But, his eyes remained glued onto the back of the human beast towering over his mother.

As soon as Mark's frozen gaze brushed past the dark red liquid pooling on the floor, his incoherent brain snapped and completely stopped thinking rationally. His body now preparing to act out of pure animalistic instinct to protect the frail sobbing woman in the furthest corner of the dark room. Mark grabbed the first object that came across his vision and before the monster could swing his lead-weighted fists down again, he swung the hard wooden baseball bat straight onto its temple. The man elicited a sharp howl, falling onto the crimson stained ground with a loud thud.

Mark quickly shook himself awake when the crippling fear of his father waking up slowly creeped down his spine. He then willed himself to go on autopilot, his body operating on pure adrenaline alone. He forcefully carried his unconscious mother outside the house in his arms and laid her in the back of the car as gentle as he could; wincing when he noticed dark violet bruises starting to appear on her porcelain skin. All Mark knew was that he _needed_ to get out of that hell hole as fast as he can.

Once Mark surrendered his mother's almost lifeless body to a nurse, all of his emotions came flooding in, forcing his brain to regain consciousness to what just had happened; his knees suddenly giving out as the last of his adrenaline seeped out of his body. All the flying emotions and thoughts in his mind was too much to handle, causing his body to weakly limp forward on his scabbed knees. Mark didn't notice the burning tears falling violently from his ducts as he shut his eyes, forcing himself to surrender to sleep on the hospital floor; praying that this had all been a _nightmare_.

 _But_ , he knew his prayers were futile.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

Mark shuddered as he brought himself back to reality as he gazed at his reflection; noticing the tears beginning to streak his pink cheek. _Damn it Mark, get your shit together_ , wiping his face gracelessly with his tattoo-clad forearm.

Mark soon walked towards the exit of the building and towards the street in hopes of finding food to calm his insatiable stomach; Mark knowing all too well that he didn't enjoy working with an empty stomach. As Mark halted in front of a red light, he grabbed his phone and started to look for a familiar name to call.

"Hey Mo-"

The angry voice on the other side interjected and cut him off as they scolded never to talk to them as if Mark was about to get killed. "Mom…sorry about earlier if it sounded like I was about to get mobbed." he quickly explained with slight sarcasm, finally finding an opening to his mom's relentless scolding as he continued walking down the street as the ruby red glass turned into emerald green.

Eventually, Mark explained his anxiety attack, to which his mom quickly comforted him with calming words of encouragement. Mark couldn't help but find his mother's voice soothing and was soon lulled into spacing out, only coming back to reality when he almost ran into an angry bicyclist; whom promptly shot him the middle digit.

His mother has always seen Mark completely for who he is, even if Mark only saw himself as the one quiet kid who played video games all day. She was the first person that ignited his passion for dancing when she mentioned casually one day how he had so much joy in his face during a high school dance contest; which Mark only decided to join because of the constant nagging of his friends.

Months later she basically _lovingly_ forced him to audition for JYP Entertainment to train in Seoul as an idol star. At first, Mark was extremely hesitant -not wanting to leave his mother in Taiwan- only agreeing to make his mother happy. What he did _not_ expect, was actually getting a phone call the next day saying his flight has been scheduled, his mom screaming happily in his ear as it happened.

Mark forcefully came out of his daze as his stomach growled and turned his full attention to his phone again, entering the first plaza his famished body unconsciously walked into. His mother soon started to explain the night where all hell broke loose and why it had happened; Mark noticing hidden soft whimpers as she forced her body to move into a more comfortable position on her hospital bed.

She had confronted his father about his audition and acceptance to become an idol during that night. But, she was unlucky in catching him at the worst possible moment, the monster eventually lashing out in his drunken state. She stated that he kept shouting that no son of his was leaving his sight. _What an idiot,_ Mark grudgingly thought. _Was he planning on keeping him locked in that hell hole forever?_

Mark could tell that his mother's voice was starting to harbour silent pain as she was reliving her nightmare. So, he made the effort to stop her as he already knew enough, and he couldn't manage to see or hear her _cry_ again.

It took a lot of effort from his mother to coax Mark into leaving her at that state. She went on and on about his dreams and talents, and how she would be the happiest mom alive if she saw her son perform on stage. She even went on to say how Mark was her bundle of light that kept her smiling, to which Mark's heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.  Mark was put into a corner, because honestly, how _could_ he say no to that. He swears his mother was a seer or a queen in her other life, since her smile had the ability to will him into literally anything.

"Ah eomma… sorry to hang up so quickly on you, but I really need food in my system before I give out." he muttered with his other arm behind his neck as he entered the front doors to a warm café, his mom promptly scolding him -again- for not taking care of himself; commenting on how naturally skinny he was already.

Mark shoved his phone in the pocket of his ripped jeans, inhaling the homey and inviting smell of freshly brewed caffeine _. Mmm..,_ Mark unconsciously hummed, his stomach jumping in joy as it anticipated the food that was soon to come.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

After ordering his well-deserved food, Mark found a small cozy booth with brown leather seats all to himself, smiling at the privacy he desperately needed; as he was in no state to talk to any strangers. Mark was about to fall into another self-induced daydream, when the server plopped his chocolate croissant and latte on his table.

"Thank you" Mark smiled at the short-haired girl, noticing the dark makeup on her face complimenting her strong features quite nicely; giving the aura of an independent woman.

"You're staring" she bluntly said with a sly smirk.

"Ah, Sorry, I di-"

"Just kidding cutie. I was just messing with you. You looked a little lost that’s all" she interjected, shrugging her shoulders.

Mark reflexively looked down towards the floor meekly _. But_ , to his demise he couldn't help but notice the extremely detailed cherry blossom tree that wrapped along her toned thighs; the top branches just disappearing up her uniform skirt.

"Ok. _Now_ you're staring.", her eyes rolling sarcastically.

"I was just a bit curious on the tattoo on your thigh." Mark muttered shyly, biting his lower lip unconsciously, hoping the girl didn't think he was some kind of pervert.

"I see." she said with scrutinizing eyes. To Mark's relief, her expression rapidly changed into a smile. "Let me show you something quick before my boss notices I'm gone too long." she playfully whispered, forcing Mark to shimmy into the booth, allowing her to sit beside him.

The eccentric girl stared intently at his latte and began to slowly face her palm towards the rim of the cup. To Mark's surprise, he could vaguely see milky brown droplets slowly coming out of the tan coloured liquid as she raised her palm higher.

Mark could only watch in amazement as she willed the coffee drops towards her violet coloured lips, releasing an over exaggerated hum of delight as the droplets dissipated in her mouth. Mark promptly broke out of his curious gaze as the girl flicked her chin towards him, as if to say - _it's your turn-._

Mark visibly stuttered. "Eh.. I can't really do anything. My magic hasn't really surfaced yet." Mark murmured, rubbing the music notes that littered the entirety of his left arm.

"Don't worry hun…" she consoled, placing a hand on Mark's shoulder. "..you'll find them eventually. They say that you'll feel different as soon as you meet them face to face, that's when your powers are supposed to be awakened. So… -in your case-, you just haven't found them yet." she explained as she slid outside of the booth and dusted off her skirt. "Well then, have a good day and enjoy your meal. Oh and-" she paused as she smacked her hand playfully across Mark's temple. "Smile why don’t you? You're pretty face doesn’t look good all worried and stuff."

Unfortunately, Mark couldn't help but blush at the lude comment the strong-willed girl bluntly made. _God Mark, have you never had a person compliment you before,_ he scolded himself as he tried to rub out his reddening cheeks with the back of his hands.

Mark was in no way drop dead gorgeous. He was pretty lanky as a child and seemed like even the slightest touch can break him. But, puberty blessed him eventually with a visibly more toned body -no doubt his dancing helped with that too- and a huskier voice. He's had a couple girlfriends in the past, but none had ever really captured his interest for long; since he was pretty much content with being by himself.

However, Mark often thought about the whole "meeting the _one"_ fiasco; maybe that’s why he unconsciously agreed to dating those girls in the past. Mark was all too familiar of the infamous "Soulmate Effect" that has taken the world by storm. Ever since he was little, he witnessed feats that weren't even possible before the year he was born. He always noticed the onyx-coloured markings on people that would walk by him as a child, often asking his mom what they symbolized.

 _They are called soulmate markings Mark, every person that was born after the year 2016 has it. Those music notes on your arm is supposed to symbolize what **your soulmate's** magic could be. Isn't it amazing how two people can be linked even before they were born?, _Mark remembering his mother telling him the first time he had asked.

Although, Mark was increasingly getting annoyed at the fact that he still couldn’t do anything -at a _whopping_ 20 years old-, while all his friends took every chance they can get to flaunt their magic in front of Mark's face.

 _Where the hell are you?,_ he reflected, longingly gazing over the music notes on his arm that seemed to be missing its composer.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

A happy -and now satiated- Mark made his way back towards the tall JYP building, despite getting himself lost a couple times; though he would never admit that to anyone. He swung open the opaque front doors and-

BANG

"WHAT THE F-, DIDN'T YOU SEE _ME_ WALKING THROUGH?" a black haired teen seethed through his hot tongue, rubbing his head; that will surely bruise.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Mark repeated probably one hundred times, helping the still fuming teen up on his feet as he thought how this situation could have been avoided if those doors were see through.

Mark quickly looked at his victim and noticed that he sported a black suit jacket that complimented a simple white shirt underneath that hugged his body, paired with sleek black trousers. _This guy seriously has a sense of fashion_ , _if he can pull off that look so casually,_ Mark thought.

"Quit staring and putting salt on my wound will you, it’s bad enough that I was haphazardly thrown on the ground." the angry teen muttered as he dusted his jacket free of lint.

As Mark took in the entirety of the other's disheveled appearance, he soon realiz-

_Fuck._

Mark _literally_ just knocked the wind out of Jinyoung… _the_ _Jinyoung,_ the second half of JYP's JJProject. Mark mentally scolded himself -yet again- for being so clumsy. He instinctively brought his heavy eyes towards the floor and bowed to say sorry.

"Hey, hey you. Look at me." Jinyoung said as he flicked Mark straight in the middle of his forehead, forcing Mark to flinch back with a wince. _Alright, he definitely deserved that._ "Why are you here heathen?” Jinyoung beginning to press harder.

"I..I-"

"Spit it out for god's sak-", Jinyoung rolling his eyes sarcastically.

"I'm a new t-trainee", Mark practically blurted out as he braced his arms around himself for punishment. Mark dared himself to look between his fingers and was surprised to note a look of surprise and slight relief in Jinyoung's dark brown eyes.

"Oh. Well then," Mark suddenly felt his wrist being pulled towards a direction, albeit a little too harshly. "Come on, you're comi-, wait what's your name?" Jinyoung said, feigning sincerity.

"M-Mark" he stuttered to his embarrassment. _He is so screwed._

Jinyoung faltered for a moment, staring Mark straight in the eyes with a inquisitive stare. "Alright, I'm Jinyoung -though you probably already knew that _\- and_ you're going to help me make lunch for the trainees, _Mark._ " Jinyoung exclaimed, Mark noticing a slight mischievous tone.

_What did I get myself into now…?_

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

To Mark's surprise, he actually _enjoyed_ helping Jinyoung make a few kimbaps for the trainees -and himself- in the JYP kitchen. There was something about Jinyoung's aura that reminded him of the woman that he had left back home. He wasn't sure whether it was the sharp-tongue this idol possessed, or the _Mom_ Complex that literally oozed out of his personality. But, Mark didn't really give it a second thought, he was just content in immersing himself in the mother-like aura of Jinyoung; the painful thoughts of his poor mother slowly disappearing.

"Mark…earth to Mark. Are you selectively mute or something? You barely talk. It feels like I'm talking to stuffed animal." Jinyoung suddenly blurted, breaking Mark out of his silence.

Mark raised his hand and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Eh… well, I don’t really have anything to say."

Jinyoung just looked away and scoffed at Mark's dry reply.

_Dammit Mark, just say something. Talk about the weather or something._

"Hey Jinyoung, how did you learn how to make these so good?" Mark asked hesitantly, putting a piece of kimbap past his lips; Jinyoung shooting him a glare.

"Well, eomma always used to make these for me after school, and I'd watch intently as her swift, yet sure fingers wrapped each kimbap." Jinyoung explained, expression softening as he continued to cut the rest of the pickled radishes. "Yo klutz, hand me the dipping sauce I made earlier, right inside there." Jinyoung said over his shoulder, chin pointing towards the fridge.

 _Klutz…it was one time,_ Mark thought to himself. Mark made his way towards the stainless steel fridge and took out a small bowl filled with a dark liquid.

Lady luck was _definitely_ not on Mark's side today as he slipped on an evil piece of radish that fell earlier, causing Mark to spill half the sauce on himself. _Jinyoung's going to murder him…Yeup, I'm definitely a klutz_ , he affirmed.

Mark regretfully met Jinyoung's piercing glare, making his breath hitch. "God, you are literally…" Jinyoung whispered, left hand palming his face and the right on his hip. "Looks like everyone is going to have to settle for some dry-ass kimbap."

Mark expected a slap to his hand, or even a few more vulgar words; however, Jinyoung soon came up to him with a damp napkin and began to wipe of the salty mess on Mark's left arm.

As Jinyoung was cleaning his arm and muttering to himself how he had just put his mother's cooking to shame, Mark could feel Jinyoung's gaze continually flickering towards his soulmate mark subtly. "It's nice huh?" Mark muttered, catching Jinyoung by surprise.

"Mhm, I haven't ever seen one as intricate as yours, well except...", Jinyoung quickly composing himself as he traced the music notes on Mark's sinewy arm with his index fingers.

"Hey, S-Stop it. That t-tickles," Mark giggled under his breath, retracting his arm. "..where's yours?" he said impulsively, his curiosity overpowering his hesitance.

"Gah.." Jinyoung feigned painfully. "It's such a pain showing it to people. It's literally in the most obnoxious part of my body, but I guess it can't be helped." he huffed under his breath, taking off his black suit jacket and putting his hands at the hem of his white fitted shirt, lifting it.

Mark couldn't help but blush and look away at the clear confidence that Jinyoung was emitting; his mind thinking of all the _wrong_ places as to where his tattoo was.

"Calm your dirty ass mind child." a shirtless Jinyoung scolded, hitting Mark on the shoulder. "You can look now…pervert." Jinyoung said behind his shoulder when he noticed Mark had his eyes forcefully closed.

When Mark opened his eyes, he was met with the most beautiful tattoo he had ever since in his life. It was dead center on Jinyoung's back -which was more toned than he thought- and spanned just right before his shoulder blades. It was a picture of a bird engulfed in flames, its wings spread out wide; Mark's attention stuck on the piercing look the avian had engraved on its face. He couldn't help but take one step back, as if he was afraid the black spitting flames was enough to scorch him.

"Huh?..." Jinyoung said looking over his shoulder. "…Aww, Mark-ie is a wittle scared of a flaming birdie." Jinyoung coddled as he took Mark's cheeks in between his thumb and index finger; earning a wince from the other.

"Stop that…I'm not a kid Jinyoung." Mark pouted, rubbing his -now red- cheeks as Jinyoung pulled back.

"Oh. I'm _so_ sorry." Jinyoung exclaimed with pure sarcasm in his tone. "Isn't it nice though?"

"Extremely. Do you have any magic yet?" Mark asked as Jinyoung raised his arms to put his shirt over his head. Once Jinyoung's head has popped out of the collar of his white shirt, Mark could tell that his expression slightly changed. _Wait wha- Did I say something wrong?,_ Mark wondered, attempting to seem to not have noticed Jinyoung's change in facial expression.

"Oh, _that_ …well. Y-yea I do. Come here.", Jinyoung motioning Mark to come beside him near the sink.

 _Did Jinyoung just stutter his words?,_ Mark thought, the action being incredibly antagonistic to Jinyoung's sharp tongue. 

Mark quickly focused his eyes on the running water that Jinyoung has recently opened. Mark intently stared as Jinyoung placed his single index finger onto the pooling clear liquid at the bottom of the sink. Slowly but surely, the pool of water turned slightly translucent, until it was completely opaque; the water turning into a giant ice crystal. Mark couldn't contain his excitement and whipped his head towards Jinyoung.

What Mark didn't expect was the apparent sad -almost longing- face that Jinyoung was bearing. Mark felt sympathy for his new friend, since he very much knew that this emotion on Jinyoung's face isn't something a lot of people had the opportunity to see. "Hey Jinyoung-ie, does that mean you have a soulmate?" Mark teased with as much joy he can muster, trying to coax the other out of the deepening mood.

Jinyoung turned to face Mark, and just for a split second, Mark saw running water; this time on Jinyoung's face. Before Mark could react, Jinyoung had already wiped his face and composed his posture.

"Eh. Stop staring. What's with _you_ and staring? Huh?" Jinyoung snapped back, completely recovered from the state he was just in. "To answer your question, I _don’t._ You're powers awaken when you first _see_ your soulmate," Jinyoung sassed as he ran his fingers through his jet black hair. "So, I do have a soulmate, but I don't _have_ or _know_ who they are. It's either they hate me, or they are choosing _not_ to love me" Jinyoung finalized, Mark noticing the last sentence coming out a bit forced.

"I see.." Mark muttered, as he continued to roll some kimbaps again to avoid the rising awkwardness. "I've heard that your powers only become _stronger_ when you start falling in love with your soulmate." Mark explained, hoping to steer the conversation away from Jinyoung's _own_ love life.

"Ding, Ding, Ding Mark-ssi." Jinyoung exclaimed in - _a little too much-_ joy, smiling as he tapped Mark on his shoulder blades. "Jeez Mark, you're literally all bone" he scoffed, rubbing his hand as if Mark's bones did some damage.

Mark saw right through Jinyoung's _sudden_ change in emotion; from almost venomous to straight up childish. Mark knew that there was probably some history that he rather would not tangle himself in… _yet._ Mark wanted to become closer to Jinyoung before he tried to help his new friend with his clearly apparent love problems. In addition, Mark _did_ enjoyed his time with Jinyoung. Although Jinyoung sported a rather sharp tongue, Mark's unconscious has grown to like him quickly due to him being reminiscent of Mark's mother; naturally, Mark felt like he fit right in. 

The two teens continued to make kimbaps in silence, with the occasional scolding from Jinyoung due to Mark not wrapping the kimbaps to his _absurdly_ high expectations. All Mark could do was silently nod and _pretend_ that he didn't do it right. They were just about to finish when Mark suddenly heard a ringtone come from Jinyoung's pocket.

Jinyoung quickly washed his hands and brought his phone to the space in between his ear and shoulder, head bending in an awkward position. Mark swore he saw Jinyoung genuinely smile for a millisecond as soon as he answered, but that could have been just his imagination. Jinyoung soon returned to his cold -yet loving- personality in a flash.

"Gah…You have no idea where I have been looking for you. The amount of stress I went through to realize that you weren't missing, but _decided_ to leave instead. Next time, -before you decide to disappear- tell me, so I don't nearly die of a heart attack." Jinyoung shouted through the phone, flailing his hands around in an exaggerated motion.

It was impossible for Mark to resist the urge to laugh, as Jinyoung literally looked like he was acting out a dramatic soap opera; even going to the extent of shoving an imaginary knife through his chest. Mark could also hear the repeated apologies on the other end that were desperately trying to calm the angry teen.

"What are you laughing at?..." Jinyoung hissed as he ended the call and put his phone on the kitchen counter. "…anyways Mark, all the trainees are in the meeting room already…" Jinyoung paused as his eyes twinkled brightly.

_Oh no._

"WE GET TO FEED EVERYONE FOOD" Jinyoung squealed, his hands grasping each other in delight as he took the plate of kimbaps and proceeded to skip towards the door. "Come onnn Mark-ssi, grab the pitcher of water…and don't you _dare_ drop it.", the last part making Mark slightly shiver under Jinyoung's cold stare.

Mark took the pitcher of ice cold water in his palms, wondering if Jinyoung froze the ice cubes himself using his magic. _Although that would be pretty unsanitary,_ Mark second-guessing himself.

As if Mark's life depended on it -which it certainly did-, he held on the pitcher with a death grip as he followed Jinyoung's figure.

 _One and two. One and Two. One and Two,_ Mark counted religiously as he was not taking any chances in receiving Jinyoung's motherly wrath.

Jinyoung soon reached a door, to which Mark assumed was to the meeting room. Before Jinyoung opened it, the black haired teen gave Mark a warm smile over his shoulder. As soon as the door opened, Mark's eardrums started to ring at the sheer amount of noise coming from the, - _two..four- five_ rumbustious teenagers howling at what seems to have been a joke.

_Oh god._

Before Mark could even get through the door -let alone breathe-, a boy donning a pink streak on his black hair ran up to him.

"Helloo.." the long legged boy exclaimed, rolling his tongue. "..my name is Kunpimook Bhuwakul or Bambam." he explained in glee with a toothed smile. Mark felt instantly relieved that he didn't have to call him by _that_ name.

"H-hey Bambam, I'm Mark." Mark said, carefully extending a hand, as to not spill water over the jumpy teen.

The leather pants clad teen shook his arm vigorously, taking all of Mark's concentration _not_ to drop the pitcher.

"Yo Bambam, stop harassing Mark. Go back to your hyungs, you rascal." Jinyoung suddenly interjected, as he put a motherly arm around Mark's waist; Mark slightly flinching at the slightly intimate gesture. "Mark, am I always going to have to tell you what to do?". Jinyoung nodded towards the pitcher that Mark's white knuckles wrapped around.

Mark quickly surveyed the room and noticed that it was just a simple dance studio, rather than your conventional meeting room. There were tables lined up on one end, while the perimeter of the room were all mirrors. Mark couldn't wait to finally start dancing in a _professional_ dance studio. He had try and make do with a simple body length mirror back home.

 _This could definitely work,_ Mark agreed to himself.

Mark then proceeded to walk towards a table filled with cups so that he can fill them with water. _Finally,_ Mark thought, releasing the tight grip he had on the cold pitcher's handle.

As Mark was just about to fill the last cup, his arm was almost knocked off by another boy in the room as they reached for a cup almost desperately.

"Ah, sorry Hyung. I-just-really…needed this." the younger breathed out with force, shoving the entire content of the cup in his mouth gracelessly as he fixed his sweat drenched brown colored strands. "Jaebum-hyung challenged me to a dance battle, and I just had to show off. You understand right? Name's Yugyeom by the way" the grinning teen proudly said, as he was about to run back to the fray.

"Hey wait," Mark exclaimed before Yugyeom can run across the room, the younger quickly running back.

"What's up hyung?"

"I forgot to mention my name.." he said meekly. "I'm Mark."

Yugyeom just proceeded to give Mark a warm smile as a response, as if he was waiting for Mark to continue.

Mark quickly thought of something to say and said the first thing that came to his mind. "Who's Jaebum by the way?" Mark blurted, hoping that he wasn’t too forward; although it didn't really matter since it seems like _every_ single person in the room was more open than he is.

"Ah, he's the other half of JJProject and they came to greet us new trainees. You didn’t know who he was Mark-hyung?" he said with a grin still plastered on his face.

 _Why did I ask who Jaebum was…Of course I knew who he was; who wouldn’t?,_ Mark scolded mentally, reminding himself the next time he would try and make conversation, it would have to make _actual_ sense.

Mark just ended up smiling at the younger boy and proceeded to top of the final red cup. _Alright, so I'll just give these out to the rest then,_ Mark thought, scanning the room for the leftover people, his eyes landing on a seemingly quiet person sitting down on the floor with his headphones in.

Mark tentatively walked up to him with a cup of water in his hands and extended an arm awkwardly towards the onyx haired boy. "Here you go, My name is Mark. Want some water?" Mark asked with a slight smile, hoping the other boy wouldn't see right through his nervousness.

The other boy suddenly looked up at him, removed his earphones and flashed him a smile consisting of all his pearly white teeth. "Thank you so much Hyung, You're so sweet. My name is Youngjae. Nice to meet you!" the other exclaimed, accepting the cup gleefully from Mark's slightly shaking hands.

Mark couldn't resist feeling uplifted just by looking at Youngjae's smile; one that can seriously rival the sun. Mark found himself smiling along with Youngjae, the two enjoying each other's company as they talked about their journey to JYP, of course Mark leaving out _one_ tiny detail.

Mark suddenly snapped into focus as he felt someone's eyes burning through his back. Mark slowly turned around and was met with an impatient Jinyoung nodding sharply towards the water cups and back towards the two remaining boys.

Mark sighed under his breath, eventually making his way back to the water cups right after giving a polite nod towards Youngjae. He grabbed two of the remaining cups and made his way towards the two boys, looking forward to finally finishing his _chores._  

The two boys were currently in the middle of the studio having an intense dance battle, the chestnut haired man -who Mark noticed was Jaebum- gaining the upper hand.

"What's wrong huh? You tired… _blondie_?" Jaebum teased his opponent, shooting him a devilish smirk.

"Shut up hyung, I'm not about to lose _again._ PREPARE YOURSELF FOR MY SIGNATURE MOVE." the blonde howled as he stood in his battle stance, his back facing Mark. 

 _Let's just get this over with,_ Mark said to himself as he approached the now energized blonde from behind, with two cups filled to the brim in his hands.

"Hey, here's some wat-"

The last thing that Mark felt was the hammering pain on his temple and the trudging sound of feet stomping towards him before the only thing he could see was nothingness.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

Mark had awoken to the feeling of _an_ extremely wet shirt that hugged his body and the ringing in his ears as different voices of varying pitches were either yelling, panicking or both.

"Mark-Hyung, are you okay? Oh my f-, HE'S BLEEDING." a familiar kind voice yelled straight into Mark's ear canal, sounding like he too was also about to pass out.

"Well, I didn't want to say it. But, this seems to be a really bad case of déjà vu…" a scrutinizing voice said, Mark knowing _exactly_ who it belonged to. "I'm going to go get some bandages guys." the same person said more lovingly, Mark feeling footsteps retreating farther away from him. _There's_ the Jinyoung Mark knew.

However, the sound that Mark couldn’t seem to ignore, -despite his ears starting to hurt- was a worried voice that kept on saying sorry over and over again. Mark could also vaguely feel a hot hand clasping his cold palm; a unique sensation that seemed to feel like a comfortable warm frostbite, making his fingertips tingle.

Mark forced himself to open his eyelids slowly, wincing at the sudden intrusion of light hitting his eyes. The first thing his eyes laid upon was the same person his eyes had last engraved in his memory. Also, his nose suddenly inhaled a strong musky cologne belonging to the boy closest to him, making Mark head spin even harder.

"OH MY GOD," the boy shrieked, "you're okay… I'm so sorry." the blonde's voice lowering to a hush, helping Mark prop himself up beside a nearby wall; Mark noticing the blonde's eyes slightly watering.

Mark tried to force his vocal chords to work, so that he can explain that it was probably his own fault.

"It's ok-"

"I honestly thought I killed you. My foot hit you right across the face as I was doing a flip. I'm glad you're okay though…" the blonde beamed at Mark, whispering just enough so only the two of them can hear.

Mark could no longer ignore the feeling of his left hand being squeezed. He allowed his eyes to trail down his left arm pass the music notes and onto his hand. To his amusement, his palm was now clasped by another; the other one belonging to the blonde with a wide grin on his face.

"You okay?" the blonde nudged, allowing Mark to focus his eyes back on the other's face.

"I'm okay…" Mark smiled weakly. "…just a little dizzy. That’s all." Mark continued, placing a hand onto his forehead, wincing when he felt a sharp pain shoot down his spine as his fingers touched the yellowing bruise.

"I'm so sorry. I really should be careful the next time I do that. It was all Jaebum's fault for provoking me". Mark catching a slight huff from a person to his far left. "Please, _please_ allow me to treat you out to dinner. What do you like? We can get anything you want. Please forgive me."

Mark couldn't help but lightly grin at the clearly nervous blonde who's repeating his words unknowingly into a never-ending cycle. _That was kind of cute,_ Mark unconsciously thought, now noticing the beautiful evergreen tree that ran along the person's muscular right shoulder.

"We can even go out to ea-"

"My name's Mark" he interrupted with a small chuckle, putting an end to the stuttering boy's rambling.

The boy paused briefly, caught off guard by Mark's intrusion. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jackson." he muttered softly, staring intently into Mark's deep brown eyes as he unconsciously bit his bottom lip nervously.

At that moment, Mark _couldn’t_ describe what he felt when Jackson's dark brown eyes focused into his. In _an instant_ , it forced Mark's heart to jump and his breath to falter as he failed to regain his composure. Additionally, Mark's throat started to seize as he soon realized that he was **not** in control of his body. However, one thing Mark knew for sure is that he felt _different -_ a _good_ different-, a tingle coursing through every vein and inch of his body. He wasn't sure whether it was because of the accident or the comfortable palm that was still perfectly clasped tightly on his own, but it left his insides _shaking_.

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

_My name is Mark Tuan._

_I am very prone to overthinking,_

_Often making me indecisive in most situations._

_However,_

_Today I felt something different within me._

_As if there was a sudden resurgence in my chest._

_This feeling caused my lungs to work harder,_

_My vocal cords seized to vibrate,_

_My palms sweated with anticipation,_

_And finally,_

_My heart pounded with the strength of a million thunderstorms._

_For the first time in my life,_

_I was certain about something._

_All the doubts and indecisiveness gone in a flash._

_Because I knew,_

_Right there and then,_

_That it was him._

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHHHHHHHHHH, FINALLY THE START OF MARKSON.  
> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!  
> I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the ending.  
> Also since Mark's personality is similar to mine, its pretty enjoyable to write as him.
> 
> Next upcoming chapter will showcase the P.O.V of none other than Jaebum, the resident father of GOT7 ;). 
> 
> Take care!


	5. Im Jaebum Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> I'd just like to give my thanks to those who have read, subscribed and kudos-ed. It really does mean a lot to me! Without further adieu, I hope you all enjoy this short -and angsty- chapter.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Mommy and Daddy I'm back from school! The first day of school went great. I made a lot of fri-." a black haired boy exclaimed happily, pausing so he can take his muddy rain boots off before looking for his parents in the kitchen. "Oh Mommy! Oh Daddy! Where are you? I have to tell you about my new friends." the child asked around him, questioning where his parents could be as he turned around a corner.

"Mommy, you promised you'll make me chocolate chip cookies, the ones with the big chunks of gooey chocolate." the child still shouting without a care in the world, as he looks around the kitchen in hopes that his mom hid the cookies from him. He slyly opens the biggest opaque jar he can find on the counter with a huge grin on his face. "Nope, none in here… Mommy why do you have to make this so hard…" the sharp-eyed boy muttered to himself with a huff.

The six year old soon accepted defeat with a tiny pout and decided to just play some video games upstairs in his room. As he approached the first step of the stairs, his small ears faintly hears hushed voices. "Mommy Daddy? Is that you?"

As he took a few more steps towards the second floor, the voices started getting louder; one more deafening than the other.

 _Ah! Mom and Dad must be playing video games in my room. It sure sounds like their having fun,_ the child suddenly realized as he quickly rushed towards his room on the far left and opened the door as fast as his small fingers will let him.

"Mommy, Dadd-"

The poor child couldn’t finish talking before a heavier body trying to get past knocked his thin body to the dark maroon carpet floor, knocking the breath straight out of his lungs.

The boy quickly regained his consciousness and forced his head up to investigate who had rudely pushed him down. He turned towards his room, wincing as a sharp pain came from his elbow from where he had fell.

His tiny dark brown pools zoned in on the woman he knew all too well kneeled on the floor with her head hung down low; as If the whole world lied on her frail shoulders.  The boy didn't realize his body starting to shake until narrow streams of liquid started to fall from his pale face, landing on his thin forearm.

The woman finally raised her head up, eyes red from the stinging tears that just erupted. Her body tensed up as she saw her sniffling son on the floor just outside the door, her breath hitching as she noticed the scrape on his elbow.

She willed her haunting thoughts to seize and ignore the horror that just happened as she forced her heavy legs up to cradle the crying child in her embrace.

"Honey, don’t worry. It's okay. You don't have to cry okay? Daddy just got a little mad again that’s all." she calmly assured with every inch of willpower left in her body, wiping the tears on the boy's flushed cheeks. "I'll be right back okay? Just stay here for now okay?", she asked with a hint of desperation in her tone as the slightly whimpering boy nodded his head up and down.

The boy followed his mom diligently on his knees as he listened to his mom mouth his three favorite words, as she took off her hands from his cheek; his face unconsciously trying to follow the lost warmth.

All he could do was watch his favorite person in the world turn and run down the stairs as if she's got nothing else left to lose. The boy's mind was completely drawing to a blank as the world around him started to slow down, his ears focusing on the heated conversation down below.

"PLEASE…p-please don’t do this. Please don't leave me. Please don't break this family we worked so hard to grow. I love you with everything I can bestow to the entire world."

"Get your _filthy_ hands OFF of me woman. I told you that were done. I've made up my mind. Now let _go,_ before I forcefully rip it off myself."

"IS IT BECAUSE OF HER? Don't think I never knew, with you coming home late at night smelling like expensive perfume. Even then I _still_ tried to love you. So, IS IT HER?". The boy cowered and covered his ears as he heard his mother's usual sweet tone turn venomous.

A deafening silence soon followed, the distressed woman's question floating dangerously in the atmosphere.

"I'll be sending you the divorce papers."

The boy cringed when the front door closed with a loud boom that echoed through the rooms and walls, as if it was spreading the newfound corruption throughout the entirety of the house.

He then willed his short legs to get up and look for his mom, his body desperately seeking warmth in order to cure his increasingly shallow breaths. He found his mom at the bottom of the stairs with her head on her knees, her whimpers becoming quieter by force as he inched closer beside her slowly.

His mom turned his head towards him painfully slow as she held his face in between her two frigid hands; the warmth gone from the clear shock her system has gone through.

"Are you okay honey?"

Those four words were all it took to break the child into an uncontrollable state of tears. He couldn't control it as his breaths became more shallow and his body heat slowly dissipated into the seemingly cold house.

"It's alright. Let it all out. I'm here for you." his mother stuttered with a weak voice as she wrapped him in a tight embrace, forcing all the remaining heat in her body to warm the only person she had left; keeping her own tears at bay.

It seemed like an eternity passed as the mother and son pair wrapped each other's arms around each other. Both trying to silence their whimpers as their situation started to sink further into their hearts. One hoping that this was all just a horrifying nightmare and the other praying that this was no longer reality.

The woman soon cradled her son's tear stained cheek in her worked hands and rubbed her thumbs back and forth, in efforts of calming his overwhelming thoughts.

"Hey sweetie, look at me" she whispered, forcing a smile on her face as he slowly brought his terrified face up to meet her equally scared eyes. "I know you're scared. I'm scared too. But everything will be okay, Alright?" She then grasped her son's tiny hands in hers and guided it to his narrow right collarbone.

"Promise me that whenever you're afraid or scared, you'll rub this snowflake right over here and remember just how much I love you and that you will be just fine. Promise?" she muttered as she hovered over her son's soulmate tattoo.

"Okay Mommy…b-but will he be okay?" he muttered, shakily pointing his finger to the small growing bump on her mother's tummy under her white shirt; his fingers still rubbing the black snowflake's perimeter in circles. 

The woman froze, but quickly regained her composure, able to find new strength in her son. "Of course he will be okay. Mommy's got him all safely protected, just like you." she whispered as she poked her son's sniffling nose, eyes fluttering towards the hump for a second.

"You promise Mama?"

In truth, she wasn’t sure whether they would be alright. But, she made a vow to protect the people she kept in her heart. She will not give up; she completely _refused_ to. If it weren't for her son right beside her giving her strength she so desperately needed, she would have sank down deeper into depression. However, even if a part of her is ready to shatter into a million asymmetrical shards, she knew deep within that they'll just be _okay_.

"I promise. I promise with all my heart. Now how about we make those cookies you wanted, my little Jaebum."

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to say sorry for the amount of angst/sadness in the story so far. I just wanted to build a solid background for the characters that will explain their actions/personality in the future :).  
> Also, sorry for the short chapter as my MCAT exam is dangerously fast approaching.  
> Nevertheless, thanks for reading again and take care!


	6. Im Jaebum Pt. 2

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Aiyah…" Jaebum sighed under his breath as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Jaebum isn't really surprised that the trainee's first meeting would start off like _this_ , considering that some of the new trainees -mostly Jackson- was incredibly boisterous. Jaebum was extremely thankful for Youngjae's quiet and bright presence, completely analogous to Bambam or Jackson's constant flow of energy.

 _At least Mark doesn't need any medical attention and is okay. That would have been pretty annoying to deal with,_ Jaebum contemplated to himself.

Everyone in the room basically went into panic mode as soon as Jackson's foot connected with Mark's forehead with an ear-splitting thump. Naturally, Jackson was the first to run beside Mark; tears already threatening to fall. Jinyoung, Bambam and Yugyeom still frozen in shock before proceeding to scream -well Jinyoung cursed- their heads off. Finally, poor golden-hearted Youngjae almost fainted when he saw the dark red streak. Jaebum was the _only_ one who still had his wits about him. All he could do was sigh and try his best to calm the fray.

Although, Jaebum did notice that Jinyoung was visibly upset as he walked away to get the bandages for Mark. Jaebum didn't think much of it though, since the black haired teen is almost always in a cold mood. However, the few times where Jinyoung's warmth slipped through his cold exterior was a sight to behold, at least that's what Jaebum thought.

Jaebum couldn't pinpoint it, but he swore he saw a tinge of jealousy from Jinyoung as his eyes zeroed in towards Jackson and Mark's clasped hands; but he quickly pushed that thought away, blaming it on his own exaggeration.

"Oi Jackson," Jaebum exclaimed, putting his hand down on Jackson's shoulders. "-let him breathe why don't you. You're _way_ too close. He literally just came in and you already damaged him." he finished, pulling Jackson away from the doe-eyed auburn haired boy against the wall, who looked like all the blood just rushed out of his thin body.

"But, Hyunggg," Jackson said while rolling his tongue as he backed away, still staring at Mark intently. Suddenly, Jackson turned around with the biggest shit-eating grin and motioned for Jaebum to come closer so he can say something in his ear.

"Hyunggg, isn't Mark _such_ a cutie~" whispered Jackson, earning a scoff from Jaebum as Jackson proceeded to prance away and burst into a fit of high pitched giggles.

Jaebum wasn't really surprised at Jackson's forwardness or impulsiveness anymore. He was completely desensitized to it literally an hour after they had first met. Truthfully, as soon as Jaebum met Jackson in the ice cream shop, it immediately reminded him of his younger brother. The way Jackson would tease him and exude positivity easily made Jaebum reminisce about his favorite little kid in the world. Jaebum was pretty thankful that someone as vibrant as Jackson made his way into JYP, although he'd _never_ openly admit that. Jaebum quickly forced thoughts of his brother away before it started to affect him the _other_ way.

Jaebum squatted down, stretching his tight black jeans pretty uncomfortably as he helped the poor -now accidentally abused- boy up on his feet; ignoring the shrill squealing Jackson was still emitting from his loud mouth.

"You okay there? You fell pretty hard on your head." Jaebum asked as he reached out to push off the dust on the thin boy's shoulders. Jaebum noticed the boy was still visibly shocked, his pupils still completely dilated. Jaebum was about to tease the teen about his _glaringly_ obvious shyness, but then was cut off by a very shaky voice.

"Y-yea. I'm alright I guess. My n-name is Mark by the way." Mark muttered to the floor, glancing every now and then towards the blonde haired teen who was _still_ screaming about something regarding stars and his mother.

Jaebum noticed that Mark had some sort of interest towards Jackson. He wasn’t sure whether it was Mark's body trying to calculate exactly what had just happened, or it was completely something else. However, Jackson's screaming started _to really_ annoy Jaebum, to the point where he could feel a familiar heat pool in his head. Jaebum forced himself to take deep breaths in and out as he felt his anger rising with the increasing intensity of Jackson's booming voice. Jaebum snapped his head back towards Jackson as he prepared to shut the wild hyena in the room. "Jackson. I swear to g-"

"JACKSON. SHUT. UP. I CAN HEAR YOU FROM THE HALLWAY." a seething Jinyoung hissed, barging in the room with a first aid kit as he covered his ears.

Jaebum was _so_ thankful that Jinyoung had walked in at that moment. He couldn't help but give Jinyoung a warm smile as the black haired -still fuming- teen rushed over to bandage Mark's forehead. Jaebum have always thought that Jinyoung had the knack of taking care of others. He often joked and told Jinyoung he had a "Mom Complex".

Often times, Jaebum has been more than thankful for that aspect of Jinyoung's personality. He remembered the time when he had sprained his ankle. Jinyoung had literally dropped everything and rushed to his side in an instant, comforting him the day Jaebum was dancing a little _too_ hard for his own good. Jaebum caught the edges of his lips beginning to smile, but quickly stopped himself.

"Mark-ie hyung, are you okay? I got you these Band-Aids." Jinyoung exclaimed as he stuck some on Mark's forehead; Jackson seemingly to appear near Mark's side. "Hmm…That's weird. I swear your cut was _bigger_ a few minutes ago. Oh well." Jinyoung muttered, his confused thoughts deciding to be verbally voiced out.

Jaebum willed his eyes to narrow and inspect Mark's wounds. He wouldn't say that it got _significantly_ smaller, but it did shrink a tad bit. Jaebum wondered if the situation earlier had made him overestimate the gash on Mark's forehead, which was probably the case.

"Awh, Mark you look like a hurt puppy with those Band-Aids on." Jackson teased as his face tried to give Mark the best set of puppy eyes he can muster, Mark's cheeks blushing a light pink.

Jaebum couldn't help but smirk at Jackson's _increasingly_ flirtatious antics towards Mark, he knew _exactly_ where this was going-

_Wait._

_Did Jinyoung just say Mark-ie. What in the FU- hell…was that?,_ Jaebum suddenly realized, brain jumping into conclusions as he quickly shoved those thoughts away as he felt an unfamiliar -yet unwanted- feeling slowly rising in his stomach. Jaebum ignored his irrelevant thoughts, scanning the entirety of the dancing studio as he fixed his posture.

 _Alright, everyone's here,_ Jaebum concluded.

"Alright trainee's, gather 'round. I have some very _, very_ special news for you…" Jaebum trailed off in suspense as the six people in the room gathered around him. He chuckled to himself as he noticed the five trainees' faces all displaying some sort of fearful expressions, Jackson literally hanging from Mark's arm in exaggerated fear. Jaebum then gave Jinyoung one final knowing glance as he readied his speech, the other sending a familiar comforting grin he knew all too well.

 _Okay then. Here we go,_ Jaebum thought as he opened his mouth with a smirk.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

Jaebum had dropped the news during the trainees' meeting that JJProject will be put on a hiatus until further notice. Jaebum earned shocked glances from the five trainees as they all started to ask -or _passionately_ yell- their questions about the seemingly confusing news.

However, Jinyoung's sudden loud chuckle and the cheshire grin on his face made all the eyes in the room whip towards him; except Jaebum of course, sporting a smirk on his face. Jinyoung was then literally _jumped_ by Bambam and Jackson, trying to force out some answers out of the poor black haired teen. Jinyoung broke his façade as soon as Jackson started tickling him, causing him to squeal in a very _unmanly_ voice.

If the trainees' were shocked with the announcement of JJProject's hiatus, then they were absolutely destroyed -in all aspects of life- once their ears heard the _real_ news. Jinyoung had revealed that JYPE will be managing a new boy idol group, earning a few gasps in the crowd. Jinyoung then decided to just drop the atomic bomb and reveal that the new group will consist of the 7 in the room.

At that moment, cathartic chaos ensued in the room; Jackson leaping from one side of the wall to the other, Bambam and Yugyeom clutching each other as they jumped up and down, poor Mark in shock _again_ and finally, Youngjae desperately trying to hide the tears falling on his smiling face. Jinyoung and Jaebum just let their new bandmates relish in the news, thinking to themselves that they have their hands extremely full with this bunch.

After Jaebum and Jinyoung managed to calm down the _kids,_ they also announced that they would have to start training right away as their debut stage was in two years. This news seemed to instill instant courage and strength in the five trainees, making Jinyoung and Jaebum know exactly why these five were chosen among the hundreds.

The newly formed brotherhood then made their way towards their dorm where they would live together. JYP had already assigned designated rooms to each of the seven members: Yugyeom and Bambam in one, with Jinyoung in the ensuite connected to the maknaes' room, Jaebum and Youngjae in another, and finally Jackson and Mark in the last room.

It would _not_ be over exaggerating to say that Jackson was _extremely_ ecstatic with who he was rooming with, jumping and plastering a shit-eating grin on his face throughout the day. Poor Mark was just left blushing pink, making the other members start to think Mark's cheeks were _just_ naturally red. Though, everyone was joyous and excited to start their new journey together, the night ending late with laughter and newly formed bonds.

_That day signified the start of a new chapter in each of the boy's lives; the beginning of GOT7._

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Gah. It's so damn early." Jaebum seethed to himself, washing his face in the washroom as he noticed his tired eyes desperately trying to stay open. They had stayed up pretty late last night, getting to know each of the members as they played video games; Yugyeom seeming to win _every_ single time.

Jaebum proceeded to go with his usual morning routine as he tamed the wild strands protruding from his head and brushed out his morning breath. Jaebum frowned as he remembered that he had scolded Jackson and Bambam yesterday night for almost breaking the coffee table in their living room, the two boys chasing each other around it, despite Jinyoung and Mark's constant protesting.

Jaebum emitted a deep sigh as the guilt started to creep into him. He wished he didn't show _that side_ of him the very first day they were together. Almost every day Jaebum wished that his mind was circuited a different way, so that not every single thing made fire pool in his head. Jaebum looked at his reflection in the foggy mirror, examining his features. _Even my sharp eyes always look mad,_ Jaebum hushed to himself as he wiped the thin glistening layer of water on his face.

The chestnut haired boy raked his hands slowly through his damp hair before bringing his left hand right beside the mirror. Jaebum inhaled deeply before he snapped his left thumb and middle finger together, a small but powerful bright red flame magically appearing in the air right above his thumb. He swayed his thumb back and forth slowly, the tiny blazing flame illuminating the washroom even further.

 _How ironic…the magic of flames bestowed to the person with an equally hot temper,_ Jaebum sadly chuckled to himself before letting the flame out with a small hiss. _This is who I am, I guess…the only thing I can do is control it and not hurt anyone else._ Jaebum learned to train himself to control the pit of fire in his head that grew almost instantly. Sometimes his anger would just get the best of him, often leaving Jaebum completely regretful as he looked at what his flames ended up scorching.

Jaebum quickly shook out of his thoughts and decided to see what the others were up to. After all, he was appointed the leader of GOT7, he should probably act like it; not that it was any trouble to Jaebum. He's always thought of himself as a natural born leader, being able to comfortably lead others in a fair and concise manner. Jaebum had the uncanny ability to always put others before himself. It's just that he wanted to get this right the first time, last night being a rocky start.

Jaebum made his way towards Bambam and Yugyeom's room, as there's was the closest to the washroom. He knocked a beat to the door, hearing a faint " _You can come in"_ inside almost immediately. Jaebum slowly twisted the door knob and let himself inside, hoping that he wouldn't be greeted with a handful of clothes to his face because of last night.

"Ahhh. It's leader-hyung~. G'Morning!" a tired looking Bambam chimed in with a grin, arranging his plethora of different colored clothes on the rack. Jaebum had told the Thailand-native not to call him that, but he couldn't help but smile at the small nickname the pink-streak haired boy gave him. Jaebum was extremely relieved that Bambam wasn't the one to hold grudges, although he still wanted to make it up to the younger.

"M-morning hyung…Sorry. I'm still waking up. Bambam over here wouldn't shut up last night about how excited he was to be part of GOT7." Yugyeom yawned from his white sheets before glancing at Bambam with an accusatory gaze, the other simply sticking out a tongue playfully. 

"Oi. Make sure you guys get enough sleep alright. We have lots of schedules and practices, we only have 2 years until our debut." Jaebum keened with a smile as he made his way towards Bambam to ruffle his hair, earning a pout from the other. "Alright you two, be nice and get along. I'm going to go check up on the others." Jaebum announced, making his way towards the door.

"Will do hyung! I'll definitely take care of Yugyeom." Bambam mused with a wide grin, waving goodbye to his retreating hyung. Yugyeom simply replied with a grunt, throwing the covers over himself to squeeze in a couple more minutes of sleep.

 _Those two seem close already. To be honest, out of everyone, those two almost had an instant connection,_ Jaebum contemplated as he closed their door softly, walking towards the kitchen to grab something to eat.

When Jaebum made it to the living room -that was conjoined with the kitchen-, he saw two familiar faces rushing to put on their shoes, Jaebum just grinning at the sight, as the two bickered, completely not noticing who had walked in.

"Hurrrryyy Mark-hyung~. We're going to miss their breakfast special. Don't you like waffles and pancakes? Besides it's my treat. I _never_ break my promises." Jackson beckoned towards a flushed Mark trying to put on his boots as fast as possible.

"Uugh Jackson, it's so early. Besides, I'm _only_ going because you're paying." Mark countered, flashing Jackson an annoyed look as he struggled to put on his last boot.

" _Sure you are_ hyung. You sure it's not because of me?" Jackson accused playfully, with the same shit eating grin plastered on his face.

Jaebum noticed how Mark's cheeks instantly flushed red as he was trying to formulate an answer in his head, clearly faltering at Jackson's suggestive words. Before Mark could say anything, Jaebum decided to save the oldest of the group and let out a loud chuckle, catching the attention of the two.

"Yo. Where are you guys going?" Jaebum asked, stopping himself from teasing and asking whether they are going on a date. He probably could have, but Jaebum knew Mark had his hands full with having _Jackson_ as a roommate.

"Morning Jaebum," Mark muttered with a bow, desperately trying to rub out his pink cheeks. "We were just about to leave to grab some breakfast, do you want to come?" Mark asked as he finally got his left boot inside.

Jackson quickly shot Mark a hurt puppy pout. "Hyunnggg. Why are you inviting people on our date?" he said with a huff, hooking his arms forcefully around Mark's, despite the other flinching slightly.

"Jackson. I told you many times. It's not a da-"

"That's alright, thanks for asking. Just make sure you guys come back soon. We're going to have lunch together." Jaebum interjected, flashing both of them a 1000-watt smile, Jackson quickly mouthing an exaggerated thank you towards Jaebum.

"Let's go Hyungg~" Jackson giggled, grabbing Mark's wrist and pulling him through the door. The last thing Jaebum saw was Mark's panicked and bright red cheeks zooming out of the door.

Jaebum felt a smile creeping up his face as he watched the two run out of the door. A small part of him felt weird though at the sight of Jackson teasing Mark. Jaebum didn’t really know exactly why he felt that way. _I wonder if those two ended up being each other's sou-_

"What love birds huh?" a voice grumbled from the kitchen, making Jaebum jump a little as his thoughts were interrupted.

"Jinyoung…I didn't notice you were there. Gah, made my heart jump a bit." Jaebum hissed under his breath as he quickly composed himself, Jinyoung looking at him with scrutinizing eyes.

"Sorry hyung. I _didn't_ mean too," Jinyoung teased with a small wink. "I was just about to start lunch. I wanted to make it extra special today, since it's our first family lunch together. Hope everyone likes spicy food." Jinyoung explained as he precisely measured some broth in a measuring cup.

"I see…" Jaebum answered, rubbing the back of his neck to calm his nerves. _Get yourself together Jaebum. You just got a little scared,_ he scolded himself as he felt the same unfamiliar uneasiness in the pits of his stomach rising.

"Do you need some help Jinyoung?" Jaebum asked with a smile, noticing the 'mother' of the group was rushing almost haphazardly. Jaebum saw Jinyoung slightly falter in his concise movements before turning around to face Jaebum.

"It's no worries JB. It's not a big deal. I'd rather do this alone anyways."  Jinyoung answered with an unnecessary slight cold tone in his voice.

Jaebum just shook his head at Jinyoung's reply, making his way towards the couch to watch some TV; at least he tried to be nice. Although the TV was turned on, Jaebum allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts.

When Jaebum had first met Jinyoung, they pretty much clicked right away. They made a good team, both supporting the other in every aspect of their previous training together. When his anger would slip sometimes during those long nights of practices with no sleep, Jinyoung was always there to sass right back. Even then, Jinyoung didn't take it to heart and they were almost always good the next day, Jaebum extremely thankful for Jinyoung's motherly patience.

However, even if Jaebum appreciated Jinyoung, he was cautious of his actions towards the younger. He doesn't know why, but he's always forced himself to have a constant wall between him and Jinyoung. Something inside Jaebum told him that becoming any closer to Jinyoung would spell destruction to their friendship. Jaebum trusted his guts, so he remained a safe distance, despite not knowing why his brain urged him too.

Jaebum let his thoughts deepen, the sounds from the TV slowly becoming softer. His body naturally tried to find a comfortable position on the couch as he drifted off to sleep; his last passing thoughts about the future of GOT7.

 ***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Jinyoung can you pass the rice. Mark-hyung is running out." Jackson declared, beckoning Jinyoung with a wave.

"Jackson…this is my second serving already. I'm already stuffed." Mark mumbled, defeated as Jackson grabbed a bowl from Jinyoung and filled his plate again with rice.

"Eat up my children~. We have dance and vocal training right after this, so load up on carbs as it's going to be a _long_ day." Jinyoung beamed, clearly proud of the feast he had laid on the table for his new family.

Jaebum slightly flinched at being called "children" by the younger boy. Although, he didn't really mind it, the food that Jinyoung has managed to pull out in a measly two hours was nothing short of amazing. Jaebum let his eyes wander around the table, smiling at how easily the group seemed to get along. Bambam and Yugyeom were off chatting about the game they played yesterday, while Youngjae contently plopped a piece of meat in his mouth.

However, as his eyes continued to scan the table, Jaebum's eyes lingered at the sight of Jinyoung feeding Mark a spoon of soup. He wasn't sure whether it was disgust, but that _same_ unfamiliar feeling that was in his lower region appeared again. Jaebum just ignored the feeling _again_ and focused on the plate of food in front of him.

"Guys, hurry up. We have to leave in a few minutes." Jaebum informed a _little too_ harshly, quickly cutting everyone's fooling around as they inhaled their food.

Jaebum didn't see it as his nose was buried in his plate, but after his gruff announcement, Jinyoung subtly shot him a confused look.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

Jaebum was _pleasantly_ surprised at the vocal capabilities of the group, _especially_ Youngjae. As soon as the bright-eyed boy opened his mouth, everyone in the room -including their vocal coach- was blown away by Youngjae's clear mastery over his voice. Jaebum's jaw instantly dropped after hearing Youngjae's rendition of "Eyes, Nose, Lips", reaching the right pitches with ease. Jaebum noted to ask for a few tips from the natural singer before they went to sleep later that night.

However, that wasn't the only thing that shocked the group. Jaebum was pretty skeptical at Mark's ability to sing or rap in front of a huge crowd, since the auburn haired boy was pretty introverted, usually only talking when he needed to. _But he was wrong on so many levels._ The instant Mark's turn came to rap a verse from "I Need a Girl", there was a second round of loud gasps -the loudest coming from none other than Wang Jackson-. The seemingly shy boy _completely_ transformed as soon as he grabbed the mic, his entire persona exuding sex as he easily rapped with a husky voice; a sound _no one_ had seen coming.

If Jaebum was stunned, then Jackson was completely mentally and physically destroyed. Jaebum could tell by the darkness forming in Jackson's half-lidded eyes that Mark's voice had a _clear_ effect on the Hong Kong native. Jackson was pretty much left breathless once Mark handed the mic over to Jinyoung, who almost dropped it as his mouth was still agape. Surprisingly, Jackson was completely quiet during the remaining of their vocal practice, which seemed _extremely_ weird to Jaebum. Well, that was one way to shut Jackson up.

The surprises didn't end there however. The further the day passed, the more talents seemed to be revealed as the members of GOT7 showed their specialities. Both Yugyeom and Bambam seemed to complement each other well during dance practice, while Mark captivated Jackson's eyes _again_ with his hip hop dancing; the two laughing as they showed each other the different flips and tumbles they could do.

 _GOT7 will definitely be okay,_ Jaebum affirmed with a wide grin.

At the end of dance practice, the seven boys all seemed to run out of energy at the exact same time, all seven plopping straight to the floor. Jaebum sat at one end of the room, his back leaning towards the wall as he gauged the members in order to make sure that no one was about to pass out.

Jaebum's eyes was drawn to the trio in the middle of the dance floor, Jinyoung, Mark and Jackson sat beside each other shoulder-to-shoulder, with Jackson's arm around Mark's neck comfortably. But, Jaebum's gaze was fixed at Jinyoung's hand ruffling Mark's hair.

Jaebum didn’t know why his eyes seemed to gravitate towards the pair. He didn't _know_ , and he hated the fact that the same _damn_ unfamiliar feeling was plaguing his stomach yet again. The fire in his head increasingly getting hotter as Jinyoung nudged himself closer to Mark.

Jaebum only noticed his teeth was starting to grind when Jackson came up to him and asked if he was okay, the younger having a sympathetic look in his face. Jaebum was astonished that Jackson had caught onto his flaring anger, he swore his face didn’t show any emotion. Jackson proceeded to grab Jaebum's wrist roughly, challenging him to another dance battle.

"Jacks. I'm too tired. I don’t want to dance with you." Jaebum huffed lowly, the fire rising as his impatience grew with each of Jackson's tug on his wrist.

"Hyunggg. Pleasee? We didn’t finish last time." Jackson pleaded, pulling harder on Jaebum's wrist.

"No."

"Pleeeeasse Hyung"

Jaebum felt the all too familiar heat pooling in his head, his veins starting to surface from his neck. He was trying extremely hard ignore Jackson's pleas and the pain coming from his wrists. Jaebum started to count his breaths through his nose, closing his eyes to desperately will his anger to calm the _hell_ down.

_One…_

_Two…_

_Three…_

_Four…_

_Five…_

Jaebum could feel the heat dissipating, so he slowly opened his eyes. However, his eyes shot directly towards the image of Junior's head nuzzled at the crook of Mark's neck. At that very instant, he felt the unfamiliar feeling in his stomach rise to unsurmountable levels and the flames in his thoughts increasing ten-fold. Jaebum didn't bother controlling his facial expressions now, his face clearly showing hatred plastered all over.

"Hyung…are you oka-"

Jaebum's head exploded into an uncontrollable wildfire as soon as his ear's picked up on Jackson's voice.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP JACKSON. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU. LEAVE ME ALONE." Jaebum howled with pure venom in his tone as he ran towards the door, leaving the exterior of the handle burnt to a charcoal black. The room was now full with six traumatized boys and a shaking Jackson. Mark quickly rushed over to Jackson's side, pulling the sniffling boy into a calming hug as Jinyoung passed them to quickly follow the trail of fire Jaebum had left in his path.

Jaebum only realized the venomous words that he had let slip out of tongue when cold air hit his face as he entered the building's patio. He couldn't believe it. Literally the second day as a group and he had already told one of his members to fuck off. Jaebum's mind kept drilling thoughts of inadequacy as a leader and as a _person,_ forcing him crumbling down to his knees.

Jaebum stared at the cold lifeless cement as his brain put together pieces of his emotions together and why he had just exploded in Jackson's face. Flashbacks of his past started to replay through his dilated pupils; pictures of his mom crying -the day he learnt pain-, pictures of him screaming at his little brother -the day he learnt that he was a monster- and finally, pictures of a smiling Jinyou-

That's when all the puzzle pieces seemed to have found its way together in Jaebum's mind.

 

_Shit._

 

_He fell for the jet black haired boy._

 

_He fell for the cold, yet caring personality of the boy that always seemed to be at his side._

 

_He fell for the ways his eyes crinkled whenever his lips curved into that perfect smile._

 

_He fell for Jinyoung._

 

_And he's had for a long time._

 

Jaebum's mind was overwhelmed as his realization hit his heart _hard_ , making his breath hitch as his body convulsed into flowing white hot tears. Jaebum didn’t know what to do with this newfound information. He just didn't know what to do, his thoughts clouded by hot fog.

Jaebum suddenly felt warm arms embrace his kneeling figure, instantly making him feel better, causing the tears to slow down in velocity. He hesitantly turned his head slightly and came face to face with a grinning Jinyoung.

_He loved that smile._

"Hey." a familiar voice whispered to him, as the black haired boy helped pick him up.

"Hey Jinyoung." Jaebum sniffled, frantically trying to smudge the tears out of his cheeks as he avoided to look into those dark brown pools whom he'd unconsciously grown to love.

"Everything alright Jaebum-ie?" Jaebum flinching at the sudden nickname as Jinyoung closed the space in between them and slowly swept the strands off his damp forehead, giving Jaebum an assuring smile.

"I'm sorry Jinyoung. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I d-didn't mean it. I promi-"

"I know. I kno-" Jinyoung now calmly stroking his cheeks, Jaebum not noticing the gentle touch as he was in trying to explain his actions hastily.

 _"_ I'm sorry for always getting mad. Y-you probably think I'm horrible for screaming at Jackson like that. I didn't mean it. I promise I try to control. I-it just happens," Jaebum muttered in a ludicrously fast pace, tears threatening to fall once again. "Jinyoung I don't know what to do… I don't know how to control it. There are times when I can, but I'm scared of hurting people _again._ Pl-Plea-Please help m-"

Before Jaebum could finish his words, he suddenly felt the same familiar arms around him, calming his tremors almost instantly. Jaebum's body automatically reacted to the embrace, his head resting on Jinyoung's shoulders. Jaebum felt safe in his arms, his anger completely dissipating. Jaebum felt his entire body relax, almost as if he'd never get mad and hurt Jinyou-

 

_Wait._

 

_No. No. No. No. No._

 

_I can't. I can't._

 

**_NO._ **

 

Jaebum forcefully pushed himself back, away from Jinyoung's embrace, losing the warmth around his waist as Jinyoung fell on the ground, his face displaying nothing but pure confusion.

"Wh-what? What's wr-wrong? Jaebu-"

It was too late.

Jaebum had already turned on his heel and sprinted away as fast as he can away from the man he had pushed to the ground. He looked behind his shoulder once and saw Jinyoung's face had matched his own; both holding violently running streams of liquid down their features. Jaebum forced himself to turn around and willed his legs to just run. Jaebum didn’t know where he was going, he only wanted to get away from Jinyoung as fast as possible.

 _Just keep running Jaebum. Look ahead and don't look back_.

Jaebum desperately begged himself to slow his uneven breathing as he rubbed the snowflake tattoo that rested on his collarbone, echoing his mother's words she had told him when he was a child. Jaebum closed his eyes and willed his feet to control his destination.

_Just keep running._

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

_My name is Im Jaebum,_

 

_And I feel disgusting._

 

_I feel just like my dad._

 

_The person who had left my mom for another._

 

_At one point, my mom and dad loved each other._

 

_They looked at each other as if they were the only ones in the room._

 

_But they didn't last._

 

_He didn't stay to see my brother mutter his first words._

 

_He didn't stay to help me learn how to ride a bike._

 

_That's the day I learnt that love isn't permanent._

 

_It's like two hearts are intertwined together only for one to snap loose._

 

_Making everything tumble down._

 

_This is why I promised myself not to fall in love._

 

_I will not hurt my soulmate with a possible heartbreak._

 

_I will not hurt my soulmate with the possibility of me unleashing flames in his heart._

 

_I am a protective person._

 

_I protect my mom._

 

_I protect my brother._

 

_I protect others, more than myself._

 

_Most importantly,_

 

_I will always protect him,_

 

_I will protect his flawless voice._

 

_I will protect his beautiful dark brown eyes._

 

_I will protect his contagious laugh._

 

_Most of all,_

 

_I will protect my favourite smile._

_I will protect my soulmate._

 

_I will protect Jinyoung._

 

_Even if it means never having the chance to call him mine._

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! To be honest, when i was writing the ending to this chapter, my heart dropped when i wrote the last line ;_; There willll be a happy endinggg (eventually), I promise :D. 
> 
> Take care~
> 
> PS: The last section of the chapter will be a recurring section in all future chapters to basically sum up the character's emotions. :D
> 
> Note: I'm not too familiar with the trainee to debut process (and how JJProject -> GOT7), so i kinda just made my 'rendition' i guess to fit the storyline. Sorry ;_;


	7. Park Jinyoung Pt. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's learn a little more about the dynamics of JJProject in the past before GOT7 came into their life shall we? ;)

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Jinyoung, we finally did it! We are _officially_ idols!" Jaebum chuckled, slinging his sweat covered arm around Jinyoung, the other shooting back a wide grin.

 JJProject just finished their first comeback performance and Jinyoung couldn't have been happier. Jinyoung could still feel the adrenaline and energy coursing through his veins like a sweet drug. He also knew that Jaebum was feeling the post-performance high just like him, considering that the older was practically jumping around Jinyoung like a little kid. 

 Although Jinyoung was still struck by his sudden promotion to becoming a full-fledged idol, his thoughts began to reminisce about the grueling training that led him here. It's been a hell of a long and painful journey, that's for sure. Almost every day was filled with constant training with little to no sleep, though Jinyoung wouldn't have it any other way. He managed to make do and keep his head held high through all the troubles he's faced, both physically and mentally. It also helped that Jaebum and he had each other's backs throughout the entirety of those 3 years.

 Jinyoung glanced sideways towards Jaebum's smiling face, the older's arm still around his shoulder. It was impossible not to smile at the scene that Jinyoung's eyes laid upon, for Jaebum's smile almost always makes him feel the same way; all giddy and warm inside. It was pretty rare to see Jaebum _this_ energetic. Jinyoung's partner was usually the calm and collected one, though Jinyoung didn't mind seeing this side of Jaebum more often.

 Jinyoung remembered vividly the very first time he had met Jaebum in a crowded room full of new trainees. Jinyoung softly chuckled to himself as he remembered how Jaebum looked so different back then, well rest assured he himself didn't look that great either. Both of their hairstyles were absolutely atrocious back then, Jinyoung sporting the classic coconut hair, while Jaebum _tried_ to rock that side swept long hair. Though, Jinyoung remembered being kind of afraid of Jaebum the first time they had met. The black haired boy had very sharp eyes and a pointed jawline that made his face look like it had served thousands of wars, albeit his complexion being smooth as porcelain. But, as soon as they started talking, the pair hit it off right away, laughing and talking as if they were long lost brothers.

 "Jaebum, I'm going to go head to the dorms now…I'm beyond exhausted." Jinyoung muttered while over exaggerating the slump of his shoulders, earning an inquisitive stare from Jaebum. Truth be told, although the energetic fire was still running through his body, Jinyoung couldn't wait until his restless body hit the comfort of his bed. He had only gotten a mere 3 hours of sleep because of the anxiety that came with the morning before their first performance.

 "Alright let's go. But I want to celebrate..." Jaebum trailed off with a shit-eating smirk on his face, winking towards Jinyoung playfully, earning a scowl from the younger.

 Jinyoung only sighed and shook his head, preparing for the worst. He knew that Jaebum went pretty crazy in his 'celebrations'. His ideas of celebrations usually involve long nights and full of regrets the next morning. The last time they had _celebrated_ , Jinyoung found himself sleeping in the bath tub…which ended up not belonging to their dorm. But, Jinyoung himself was pretty excited to see what Jaebum has up his sleeve this time around, despite his nerves being hyperaware of what he's about to get himself into.

 "…I have a surprise for us Jinyoung~" Jaebum playfully declared, sending a shock towards Jinyoung's system, since he had never heard _that_ tone in Jaebum's voice. Jaebum was always hard headed and put together, but almost _never_ cute or childish. Jinyoung was _definitely_ scared now.

 Jinyoung quickly shook off that thought, grudgingly following beside Jaebum, with his head still tucked under the warm arm. Jinyoung drew his eyes to the floor, willing himself to rely on his leftover adrenaline to keep his tired body from fainting and falling face first onto the hard floor.

 

  _This will definitely be a long night…_

 

 ***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Jesu-… Jaebum. _How?"_ Jinyoung groaned, clutching the side of his head with his palm. Jinyoung was currently in their shared dorm, staring in disbelief at the grinning man before him that was carrying -not _one_ \- but, _six_ bottles of soju. Jaebum had the biggest smirk on his face, and all Jinyoung wanted to do was to wipe that shit off his face. Although, as Jinyoung continued to plaster his eyes at the clinking bottles, the idea of becoming shit-faced drunk became much more enticing by each passing second.

"But, Jinyoung, we just finished our debut performance…" Jaebum uncharacteristically pouted towards his groaning partner. "Besides, we don't have any schedules tomorrow… _Mom~_." Jaebum teased, knowing full well that Jinyoung was going to give in eventually. Jinyoung knew that Jaebum always seemed to get the upper hand whenever he wanted to convince the other to do something reckless.

 

_And here I thought, he was the calm one..._

 

Alright, Jinyoung knew he had a " _Mom Complex",_ Jaebum constantly teasing him about it every chance he gets. Jinyoung just couldn't help but take care of other people, it was just in his nature. He simply didn't want to see any of his friends get hurt. It was almost as if it was pre-wired into Jinyoung's brain to help others and prevent danger to himself and his friends, which usually means a lot of nagging and bickering. Though, the thought that they actually _didn't_ have anything to do tomorrow morning made Jaebum's idea of a _celebration_ that much more attractive.

 

_Ah…to hell with it._

 

"Fine." Jinyoung surrendered with a huff, walking past Jaebum and grabbing a bottle out of his hand. Jinyoung decided that he might as well enjoy the night, as it probably took a lot of effort for Jaebum to sneak these six bottles of soju inside their dorm. Drinking was strictly prohibited inside the dorms, which made Jinyoung hesitate even more, but at this point he decided that he deserved it for all the stress he went through in preparing for their debut. He knew he was probably going to end up thanking the older -or cursing, if Jinyoung woke up with a splitting hang over the next day.

Jaebum and Jinyoung decided to just relax on the couch as they drank their first bottle of soju, talking about their performance. They commented on each other's dancing and singing, giving kind praises and honest criticisms. Jinyoung knew that Jaebum and he worked insanely well, both of them knowing each other's weaknesses and strengths, the information building through the past years. Both boys continued to reminisce about their trainee days and how everything seemed to move at the speed of light.

Jinyoung had always thought it was nice having deep conversations with Jaebum, since the latter didn't really open up as much as Jinyoung wished he had. The alcohol in Jaebum's veins probably had an effect on his filter, that’s for sure. So naturally, he was all ears whenever Jaebum decided to let Jinyoung inside his world. Though, Jinyoung was especially content in hearing about Jaebum's past, since he had only heard tidbits about it through the three years they had worked together. Jaebum continued to talk about his mother and brother with such admiration that it was almost adorable, Jaebum's cheeks flushing a pale red from the alcohol in his system.

Jinyoung just continued to admire the sight of Jaebum talking about the people he loved, noticing how Jaebum's eyes would glint every time he would mention his mom's name. Jinyoung believed that people's persona or voice will completely change when they talk about someone or something they could never live without. These are the type of moments that Jinyoung cherished the most, loving the way people talk so strongly and passionately about the most important aspects of their life.

After a few hours of talking and playing a few games, Jinyoung had almost finished his third bottle of soju. On the other hand, Jaebum was still on the other side of the couch, just finishing his third bottle himself. Jinyoung noticed how completely red Jaebum's cheeks were now, chuckling to himself how the older looked like he just came out of a blizzard. Jaebum literally looked like a ripe strawberry.

Jinyoung soon felt a familiar tingle in his abdomen, signaling that his bladder was about to burst if he didn't take any course of action soon. He began to stand up _very_ slowly, the alcohol completely blindsiding him as he almost doubled over onto the table in front of him as he struggled to maintain his posture. "I'ma ju-just go to the washroom Jaebumie~" Jinyoung violently stuttered, surprising himself that his drunk voice managed to let that nickname slip out of his lips. At this point, Jinyoung knew he didn't have much control left of his mouth -or his body for that matter- anyways.

"Alright Jinyoungie~, don't fall now." Jaebum chimed playfully, smacking Jinyoung's thigh as he passed by him, earning a scowl from the younger. Jinyoung felt something weird in his stomach when Jaebum had said his name like that, though he just blamed it on the overwhelming amount of toxic liquid he just drank.

After Jinyoung had finished his duties in the washroom, he slowly willed his numb legs to walk towards the couch, a small part of him knowing that he was about to fall any second.

 

 _Okay Jinyoung. All you have to do is get your drunk ass over to that end of the couch,_ Jinyoung thought to himself as he slowly tiptoed his way towards his previous spot.

 

As Jinyoung was about to turn the corner, he whipped his head a little bit too fast and a rush of alcohol-induced dizziness hit him like a truck, making his knees fail to keep him standing. Surprisingly, Jinyoung didn't feel his skull hit the cold hard floor, but his wobbling figure met a warm pair of strong familiar arms.

Jinyoung opened his lids slowly, his dark brown pools meeting a set of half-lidded eyes and a wide smirk. Jinyoung's face was only a few inches away from Jaebum's, his arm still clutching Jinyoung's waist. Jinyoung quickly realized the awkward situation he was in, averting his gaze from his savior and towards the floor.

"Aww~ Jinyoungie you're blushing." Jaebum teased, alcohol lining his tone as he forcefully pulled him and Jinyoung together towards the corner of the sofa. Jinyoung did not expect to be thrown so suddenly onto the couch, groaning loudly when the wind was knocked out of his lungs.

Jinyoung was effectively trapped under Jaebum's smoldering body, his head lying on the nook of Jaebum's shoulder. Jaebum felt like a human furnace, but Jinyoung thought it was pretty comforting, similar to how a toasty campfire warmed a winter night. Jinyoung was flushing a bright red now, feeling the intense heat the older radiated, his own body being drawn towards the warm aura. However, he didn't really know -maybe it was the alcohol talking-, but Jinyoung was comfortable, extremely comfortable actually. It was almost as if his body seemingly matched with Jaebum's, like two perfectly matched puzzle pieces. Jinyoung just decided to indulge in Jaebum's rare showing of affection and cuddled closer, bringing his own arms behind Jaebum's back and allowing his head to rest on Jaebum's shoulder closer; just enough to breathe in the remnants of Jaebum's cologne.

Jaebum just continued to talk lowly about random things, running his fingers slowly through Jinyoung's hair, earning a hum every now and then from the younger. Though, Jinyoung wasn't really paying attention at all to Jaebum's words at all, focusing instead on the amount of attention Jaebum was giving him.

Jinyoung always had some sort of _admiration_ towards Jaebum, even when they had first met. Jinyoung wasn't stupid, he _knew_ the moment he saw Jaebum that they were soulmates. The first time they had met, Jinyoung's heart practically convulsed out of his chest and his lungs hitched like it had forgot the ability to breathe. Furthermore, it became clearer to Jinyoung when he practically scared himself shitless when he accidentally froze his glass of water later that day, revealing to himself that he was literally _Iceman_. Jinyoung remembered staring at the frozen ice that was entirely due to his doing, thinking to himself that he had _finally_ met his soulmate.

To sum it all up, the first time his magical power of ice flourished was the same day he had also met Jaebum, and with the fact that Jaebum's own tattoo was a snowflake on his right collarbone only made his assertion that they were indeed soulmates stronger, since Jinyoung's own power matched Jaebum's tattoo.

Jinyoung knew to some degree that Jaebum knew as well, Jaebum showing his own fire tricks to Jinyoung the next day, his magic matching the mark of the phoenix Jinyoung bared on his back all his life. _However,_ Jinyoung had never acted upon it, and so did Jaebum. He didn't really know why back then. Maybe it was because their training got in the way, or because it had never been brought up due to their busy schedules. Eventually, Jinyoung accepted that they would somehow find the truth together once they were both ready, though Jinyoung knew Jaebum was an _extremely_ oblivious person; the man probably didn't even understand his own emotions himself.

The fact that they were soulmates however made it easy for Jinyoung to get closer to Jaebum over time, almost as if they were made for each other -which technically they were-, making falling for Jaebum all the more easier. But, through the years of training, their relationship had never really escalated into something more than best friends. Though there were a lot of skinship occurring, it was all just out of friendship. Obviously, Jinyoung wanted _more,_ but he's a patient man and he willed his heart to calm the hell down all those years, waiting for his other half to catch up. Jinyoung didn't want to run the risk of scaring Jaebum off with a love confession, because even if they were soulmates, it _wasn't_ certain that Jaebum felt the exact same way as he did. So all Jinyoung could do was wait.

 _However,_ they had never been _this_ affectionate towards each other before, their bodies practically intertwined on the couch, sending shockwaves down Jinyoung's spine every other second. This was the first time Jinyoung had felt Jaebum's heat enveloping his figure for more than just a hug, or the other's fingers lazily grazing over Jinyoung's hair and shoulders. Jinyoung honestly was having the time of his life, thinking to himself how _so_ overdue this is. Maybe Jaebum had finally realized or wanted to pursue their relationship to becoming more than just _buddies_ , though deep down Jinyoung knew it was all because of the alcohol running through Jaebum's system.

Jaebum was just humming a silent tune to himself now as his eyes were facing the wall, his arm still around Jinyoung's shoulders firmly, as if he didn't want to lose the figure by his side. Jinyoung couldn't help but finally seize the opportunity to look at Jaebum's features up close, knowing full well that he won't have another chance like this. Jinyoung allowed his eyes to slowly wander across Jaebum's relaxed face, taking in a sharp breath as he marveled at Jaebum's _everything._

Jinyoung noticed how Jaebum's usual sharp eyes were softer now, and held a kind of mystery to them that had always peaked Jinyoung's interest. It was also impossible to not notice the reddened cheeks and lips that were all probably due to the alcohol, wishing that his own pair of lips could somehow touch either one. However, Jinyoung knew that was _way_ out of question, but a boy can hope. Although, he couldn't believe that the man in front of him was the soulmate made just for him. Jinyoung couldn’t have felt any luckier, his heart jumping out of pure excitement.

However, Jinyoung hadn't noticed for his attention was on Jaebum's plump lips -for maybe a bit _too_ long-, but Jaebum's dark brown pools were now examining Jinyoung's features himself, Jinyoung completely oblivious to Jaebum's actions that now mimicked his own. The pair just sat on the end of the couch, practically cuddling on top of each other, Jinyoung eventually moving his head to rest on top of Jaebum's chest. They continued to enjoy each other's silent presence, as the alcohol slowly made them sleepier. Jinyoung could practically feel his eyelids drooping, and with the fact that Jaebum was lazily drawing circles on his back wasn't helping much either.

Jaebum suddenly got up, waking Jinyoung up from his self-induced stupor. "Wh-what? Jaebum, come back. I was so comfortable…" Jinyoung practically cooed, something he never thought he would do so soon towards Jaebum. Jaebum ruffled his jet black hair with his back facing Jinyoung as he crouched down in a squatting position. Jinyoung just looked at Jaebum with a confused face, not knowing what Jaebum had in mind.

Jaebum suddenly turned his head towards Jinyoung and flashed him his signature -literal 1000 Watt- grin. "Get on you idiot, before I change my mind. I know full well that your legs are practically melting… You _lightweight."_ Jaebum teased with a smirk, nodding his head towards Jinyoung to hop onto his back.

Jinyoung practically couldn't help but let out a childish squeal as he plopped on Jaebum's strong back, grinning as Jaebum effortlessly carried his figure up. Jinyoung always knew how ridiculously wide the gap between their strengths were, Jaebum's winning by a clear mile and a half. Though, Jinyoung noticed that Jaebum's steps were a little more _coordinated_ than he thought it should be, considering he was just drunk an hour ago. A thought hit Jinyoung that maybe…just maybe, Jaebum was doing all of these affectionate things on his own accord, and not just because of the alcohol taking control. Jinyoung felt a warm emotion take over him, as he realized that today might be the day when they can _finally_ get somewhere, letting his head rest on Jaebum's shoulder, slowly drifting too sleep.

Jinyoung suddenly jolted awake, noticing that his surroundings were _not_ his room, but rather Jaebum's. Jinyoung was about to protest and tell the other to bring him to his room, until he was rudely cut off by being unceremoniously thrown onto Jaebum's bed. At this point, Jinyoung's eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the approaching Jaebum, not declining the fact that being thrown roughly on the bed didn't push an enticing feeling down his stomach.

Jinyoung could sense some type of darkness lingering in Jaebum's eyes, which was almost animalistic in nature, causing Jinyoung's insides to shake with anticipation. Jinyoung's thoughts were borderline thinking some rather _dirty_ things that _could_ happen, his heart palpitating rapidly. Jinyoung was a normal teenager after all, he was allowed to blame his hormones once in a while. Though he noticed that his breaths were becoming shallower by the second, making Jinyoung's head spin even more.

 

_Oh. My. God._

 

As Jinyoung was preparing himself for what seemed to be something he's been waiting for years now, his rather high expectations were shot down to the floor immediately when he squinted his eyes to get a better look onto Jaebum's lids. What Jinyoung thought was a predatory gaze turned out to be nothing but an expression filled with pure fatigue. Jinyoung realized he had _completely_ miscalculated the situation, missing the target by a longshot.

 

_Jinyoung, you are a hormonal idiot. Gah._

 

Jinyoung sighed under his breath as he figured Jaebum was just tired from their debut, seeing as the older plopped himself right beside Jinyoung on the bed, already almost fast asleep. Jinyoung realized just how stupid he must be for thinking _those thoughts._ He needed to get away from Jaebum, before the alcohol _really_ took into effect and controlled the entirety of his actions.

As Jinyoung was about to take off towards his room, his arm was grasped by Jaebum's steel grip, Jinyoung slightly grimacing at the pressure on his wrist. "C'mere." Jaebum whispered lowly through half lidded eyes, pulling Jinyoung forcefully to lie beside him on the bed.

Alright, now Jinyoung was _thoroughly_ confused. He didn't really want to read into the situation as much, since he knew that both of their insides were laced with soju. But, it did no harm to think that Jaebum actually meant his words a different way and wanted Jinyoung to stay for more reasons than one. Jinyoung ended up giving up as his own lids began to surrender to sleep, his figure a mere inch away Jaebum, his back facing Jaebum's face.

Jinyoung was about to fall asleep when he heard Jaebum mutter something under the blankets, trying to catch the other's attention. Jinyoung was kind of getting irritated now, since all his body want to do was to spend time in dreamland. Jinyoung grumbled under his breath to himself before he answered. "What Jaebu-"

Jinyoung's words were suddenly cut off by Jaebum lethargically slinging his arm over Jinyoung's shoulder, pulling him closer to Jaebum's chest. Jinyoung's irritation melted away as soon as he felt Jaebum's chest hit his back, the former warming his entire figure; including his heart. Jinyoung then sank his body further onto Jaebum's chest, earning a soft pleased hum from the now sleeping Jaebum, Jinyoung's ears now matching the color of his cheeks.

Jinyoung couldn't explain the emotions that were brewing in his head, let alone the mass of butterflies that were currently residing in his stomach. He could feel Jaebum's hot breath on his ear, reminding himself how much he had grown to love his oblivious partner in crime. Jinyoung chuckled to himself lowly, before finally allowing his lids to close.

 

 _I love you, you idiot,_ Jinyoung thought lastly before sleep overtook him completely.

 

What Jinyoung didn't realize is that the alcohol completely bypassed his mouth's filter system. His last thought to himself actually managed to slip past his lips, the disloyal words making its way to the ears of the now fully awake Jaebum.  

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

 _Oh my f-. My head is literally trying to kill me inside out,_ Jinyoung thought as his body started to wake.

 

The first thing Jinyoung had noticed, other than the insane hangover he was sporting, was that he _was not_ in his room. As soon as he realized this, flashes of last night's memories bombarded his thoughts, making Jinyoung blush faintly. Though, he'd rather not admit how cliché it would be to be upset that Jaebum wasn't beside him when he had woken up. Jinyoung just hoped that things were at least different with Jaebum, of course in a good way. Jinyoung would absolutely die if Jaebum had ended up regretting his actions last night.

Jinyoung slowly got up, grudgingly realizing that his head was now spinning out of control. As he stood up, he noticed a note that lied on Jaebum's desk beside the bed. Upon further inspection, Jinyoung found two pain reliever pills with some water beside the note. He couldn't help but smile at the kind gesture that Jaebum had thoughtfully done, though Jinyoung was insanely thankful that he now had a plan of attack for his pounding headache. Finding the note and pills though made Jinyoung's spirits brighten at the thought of the hard headed Jaebum finally taking action.

Jinyoung quickly popped the pills with a gulp of water, making his way towards the door. It was impossible for Jinyoung to remain calm however, realizing that Jaebum's demeanor when they first make eye contact today will determine how the rest of their relationship will play out. Jinyoung forced himself to stop thinking about the millions of "What Ifs" scenarios going through his brain and inhaled a deep breath before opening the door.

To his surprise, Jaebum was currently making breakfast, the smell eggs causing Jinyoung's stomach to rattle immediately. Jinyoung's presence was immediately given away when a yawn managed to escape his mouth, catching Jaebum's attention away from the pan. Jinyoung's eyes met those familiar brown pools and simply gave Jaebum a meek smile, the other mirroring his actions.

 

_Alright…So far so good. At least he didn't run off screaming in the middle of the night._

 

"G' morning 'nyoung, hope you like overcooked eggs cause I literally fell asleep while they were in the pan." Jaebum mourned jokingly, shooting a lopsided grin towards Jinyoung. Jinyoung just sighed with exaggeration, knowing that Jaebum wasn't the best cook in the world. Though, he couldn't control the smile that managed to sneak onto his face, realizing that Jaebum's actions -though failed- were pretty adorable.

"Here-" Jinyoung said, taking the spatula and pan away from Jaebum, "I can take care of this, do you mind making some toast though?" Jinyoung asked with confidence, knowing that Jaebum is smart enough not to fuck that up.

Jaebum just nodded and proceeded to do his assigned job. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Jaebum was staring inquisitively towards Jinyoung, burning a hole through his face. "What Jaebum-hyung?" Jinyoung asked nonchalantly as he focused his eyes towards the eggs, trying to save it from being an inedible mess. Jinyoung did notice from the corner of his eyes that Jaebum was fidgeting, which was almost never a good sign.

"Ehm...Jinyoung, why were you sleeping on my bed last night-". Upon hearing this, Jinyoung could feel his heart physically drop to the floor, forcing his blank gaze to remain onto the pan. "It's just that I don’t really remember anything from…I was pretty wasted last night. I figured you would be just as bad, that's why I left you those pills." Jaebum explained, not noticing that Jinyoung's mood was now visibly darkening.

Jinyoung couldn't believe it. He had swear that Jaebum was at least almost sober when he had climbed on top of his back, seeing as his steps were completely stable. Jinyoung couldn’t ignore the feeling of his heart beginning to seize up and the tears that were threatening to fall. He could not believe how _naïve_ he was to think that after a drunken night, everything would change in a blink of an eye. Jinyoung felt like a fool for thinking that for once in his life, he was finally able to indulge with the idea of his soulmate loving him back.

The silence between them was now increasingly becoming more uncomfortable, the tension borderline palpable. Jinyoung forced himself to take a deep breath in, willing himself not to break down in front of Jaebum and ruin everything completely. He was used to this anyways, being constantly let down, this wasn't really any different.

Jinyoung figured that he had waited for Jaebum for a couple of years now, he could probably wait another. He didn't have a choice really. He didn't have any other soulmate -nor did he want to love anyone else-, and Jaebum was bound to realize sooner or later. Though, Jinyoung was still upset because he was _so_ sure that yesterday night would change everything. Jinyoung mentally scolded himself as he began to realize that he would eventually miss those warm arms around his shoulders and the feeling of Jaebum's broad chest rising and sinking on the expanse of his back.

 

_Jinyoung you are honestly so fucked._

 

Jaebum poked Jinyoung's shoulder hesitantly, trying to coax an answer from the younger. "Jinyou-"

Jinyoung immediately cut off Jaebum with the most genuine smile he could muster, his heart still burning from the disappointment he had just swallowed. "I passed out onto your bed first and you were muttering how you didn't have enough energy to kick me out, so we just ended up sleeping on the same bed. No biggie." Jinyoung chuckled nervously, hoping that Jaebum wouldn't see through his horrible lie as he managed to flip the mass of eggs onto a platter.

"Oh I see-" Jinyoung could notice that Jaebum was trying to take in the information that was awkwardly presented to him. "Oh well. At least none of us puked onto each other." Jaebum chimed, his normal vibrant grin plastered onto his face, calming Jinyoung's nerves further, knowing his façade had worked.

"I would have ended you if you did." Jinyoung managed to say, hoping that joking around would ease the tension in his chest, but soon realizing it didn't really do much to heal anything. Jaebum just let out a piercing laughter in response, earning a warning from Jinyoung as his ears were still ringing from last night.

Jinyoung continued to stare at the pan that now held a couple slices of bacon, absentmindly shuffling the strips back and forth. Jinyoung knew he was done for. The only reason he had gotten so used to pushing his feelings for Jaebum away was that they had never had any form of intimacy. But after yesterday night, Jinyoung's thoughts were only going to be filled with how amazing it was to melt into Jaebum's arms as it wrapped around his body. The memories of last night just kept on flashing one by one onto Jinyoung's mind, torturing his heart further.

Jinyoung glanced behind his shoulder and saw that Jaebum was buttering some pieces of toasts for the both of them. Jinyoung couldn't help but sigh loudly at the predicament he was in. He honestly did not know how he would be able to deal with his growing feelings as images of him and Jaebum continued to tease his mind.

However, Jinyoung knew that they would be okay. Deep down he was glad that Jaebum didn't end up running away or avoided Jinyoung completely. Jinyoung was happy in a sense, because he would have another shot eventually at claiming Jaebum's heart. Though, Jinyoung promised himself the next time would have to be _completely_ sober; it would be better that way. Jinyoung just had to be patient. He didn't know whether it would be months or even years before Jaebum opened his eyes. But what Jinyoung did know is that Jaebum was completely worth it.

Jinyoung began to replace his thoughts of malice and heartache with images of Jaebum smiling or laughing, instantly calming him down further. Jaebum never failed to make Jinyoung happier, even if it was as indirect as a simple grin. Jinyoung would definitely wait, since the universe has so kindly made him fall in love with one _oblivious idiot_. But, Jinyoung knew it would be all worth the wait, because after all, Jaebum was _his idiot_. He just had to continue living this unrequited love scenario just a little while longer, lying to himself that his chest didn't burn with ache almost every day.

 

_It'll be okay._

 

_I'll be okay._

 

_We'll be okay._

 

_Eventually…_

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

_My name is Park Jinyoung._

 

_And I fell for my soulmate effortlessly._

 

_But, he doesn’t seem to love me back just yet._

 

_And I'm okay with that._

 

_But even though I am a patient man,_

 

_My heart still aches as it waits for its pair._

 

_However,_

 

_The smile that can light up an entire room is worth waiting for._

 

_The way his eyes disappear when he's laughing is worth holding back for._

 

_The dark brown pools that have captivated me ever since is worth hurting for._

 

_Most of all,_

 

_He is worth it._

 

_Jaebum is worth everything to me._

 

_Even if it takes him an entire millennia to love me back._

 

_So for now,_

 

_I will continue to wait patiently,_

 

_Freezing the exterior of my heart willingly to hide my true feelings,_

 

_But allowing the interior to remain beating loudly under the confines of ice;_

 

_Waiting for the moment when a similar beat finally joins its song._

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all,
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed the JJP plot thickening, dun dunn dunnnn :D I'm glad i managed to release this chapter before I start school again in two days ;_; 
> 
> Anyways, as always, thanks for reading! 
> 
> Take care~


	8. Park Jinyoung Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! 
> 
> This is a pretty lengthy chapter, having some plot advancements for both couples, to make up for not updating for a long time (Uni started again ;_; ). I apologize for some grammar mistakes here and there, as I don't really have a beta D:. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Wh-what? What's wr-wrong? Jaebu-" Jinyoung stuttered, his figure thrown to the ground, face completely torn in shock.

 All Jinyoung could do was watch as the man he'd love for so long run away from him desperately. The only thing he did was embrace Jaebum, it didn't mean much other than to help Jaebum calm down after his outburst. But, Jinyoung did hug him _too long_ and Jaebum probably got uncomfortable. It didn’t help that Jinyoung had _thoroughly_ enjoyed Jaebum's arms around him too much, losing track of the time they held each other. But Jaebum running away like his life depended on it was a bit of an exaggeration. Jinyoung felt nothing but confusion once his bottom hit the ground, thoughts of doubt and sadness swirling together in his brain in an instant.

Jinyoung decided to stand up and stop staring out towards the spot where Jaebum had just disappeared into the horizon. Jinyoung wished he knew exactly what made Jaebum act that way so suddenly. He thought that Jaebum didn't mind the hug, since Jinyoung could feel his arms tightening around his own figure. But in an instant, it was gone, and the next thing Jinyoung felt was the stone cold ground. All he could really do at this point was wish Jaebum was okay, and most of all, that everything was still fine between them.

 

_What am I going to do with him…_

 

Jinyoung had noticed a few things that differed with Jaebum ever since _that day_. When Jaebum and he had that _awkward_ drunken night after their debut performance, their relationship changed a little after that. They were still definitely close -they were teammates after all-, however, Jaebum seemed like he had built an impenetrable wall overnight that disallowed Jinyoung from ever getting too close. Jinyoung merely shrugged it off as Jaebum being his usual stubborn self, since Jaebum had told him he had no recollection of their drunken night of cuddling. 

Although, not one day has passed ever since that soju-filled night where Jinyoung had not reminisced about Jaebum's warm arms holding him tightly, the sound of Jaebum's heartbeat still clear in his mind. Sure it hurt, in fact, it hurt a lot -more than Jinyoung would ever like to admit-. But, at least Jaebum didn't hate him, or completely closed himself off. But through everything, Jinyoung still wished he had _more._

Jinyoung forcefully willed his legs to move towards the remaining members of GOT7, who were still probably a little shook about what had just ensued. Jinyoung felt especially bad for Jackson, who'd had taken the grunt of Jaebum's wrath. Although, Jinyoung knew that Jackson would be just fine since the kid was basically a ball of never endless energy. Jinyoung doesn't think he'd ever seen Jackson's large grin falter in the few days they have been together. There was no way in hell one could resist the charms of the kid, since it was all too similar to a cute puppy. After all, who doesn’t like puppies?

Though, Jinyoung was glad that Jackson had taken Mark under his wing. Jinyoung knew that Mark was a bit on the quiet side, so he was glad when Mark's literal opposite existed within the group. It was however, painfully obvious that those two were soulmates. Jackson's almost always literally hooked onto Mark's arm, trying to coax the other to reciprocate some form of attention or affection. Mark was either scowling or simply trying to ignore Jackson's advances in return. Jinyoung didn't really know why, since if Jaebum ever gave him that type of affection, he would take it no question asked. However, Jinyoung also knew that Mark wasn't _completely_ turned off, since Mark's cheeks were a permanent shade of red nowadays due to Jackson's constant flirting. Jinyoung knew they'd be okay someday; after all there's some credibility to the saying, "opposites do attract".

Truthfully, seeing Jackson and Mark interact almost like playing a game of affectionate cat and mouse, has given Jinyoung some hope. Specifically, hope that love does exist and it isn't always perfect. Sure the whole stars and everything had given everyone a soulmate in the world, but even if it was preconceived, it didn't make it any less easier to actually love someone back unconditionally. While the world was given soulmates, the hardships and the hurdles of falling in love hasn't really changed much. Though, Jinyoung was relieved to see that he wasn't the only one struggling to get their soulmate to love them back. Maybe he'd talk to Jackson about his situation someday. To others, the idea of loving their soulmates came easily, like Jackson and himself. In contrast, there's some people who acted the complete opposite. But they should fall in love with each other eventually right?

 

 _Right_?

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Guys, I'm going to go ahead and rest in my room as I'm pretty exhausted…and I swear to god Jackson, don't eat the food I prepared for tomorrow or there will be _repercussions."_ Jinyoung seethed towards Jackson, making his way to his room as he waved the rest of the members a good night's farewell.

Jinyoung sighed deeply as he entered his room, thankful that the day has ended and that all of their schedules were successfully finished for the day. He decided to plop himself on the bed, both of his hands behind his head, his eyes staring at the pale yellow ceiling.

It's been three days since Jaebum's outburst on Jackson. Jinyoung had to basically calm the four shaken kids once he made his way back to the studio room. Bambam and Yugyeom were pretty shocked, exclaiming that they had never seen or expected Jaebum to react like that. Jinyoung also noted that Mark and Jackson were sitting side by side on the floor, Mark's hand gently rubbing the expanse of Jackson's back. At that point, Jinyoung didn't really know what to say other than that they'll be okay. Truthfully though, Jinyoung didn't entirely believe it himself.

However, that same night, Jaebum had come back to their dorm hours later with two bags filled to the brim with snacks and treats. Before he had arrived, the dorm had the feeling of tension surrounding every corner. Though, as soon as Jaebum walked through the door, the mood was instantly uplifted by his bribery with food, which the maknaes greatly accepted. Jaebum merely just said sorry to everyone for his behaviour and blamed it on the impending stress of being a leader. Jinyoung did notice Jaebum pulling Jackson in for a talk in private, probably to express his apologies more intimately towards the actual victim of his anger 

Although, ever since that day, Jaebum was clearly avoiding Jinyoung. However, it wasn't really obvious to the other members, but Jinyoung could see the sheer difference in how Jaebum acted towards him after their confrontation. Jaebum wasn't exactly cold or even downright avoiding Jinyoung. It was more like everything that Jaebum said to him was _forced_ and it always felt like he wanted to say _more_ , but stopped himself for whatever reason. All Jinyoung could do was play along with Jaebum, as to make it easier for the rest of the group. But it didn't make it any easier to calm Jinyoung's palpitating heart, since all he could think about was what exactly was going through Jaebum's head.

 

_This is honestly going to drive me crazy. Dammit. I should probably do something..._

 

Jinyoung laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling as his fingers tapped on his head in a simple beat. He realized that the best way to take out all of this pent up emotion is to write a song, transferring all of his feelings into words on a page. Jinyoung made his way towards his desk to grab his weathered notebook, making his way back on his bed. He then flipped through the pages of the old notebook that were littered with songs that Jinyoung had written in the past. Jinyoung then turned to a blank pag-

 

_SHIT._

 

Jinyoung cussed a few more words before he collectively willed his raging frustration to calm down. As he was turning the pages, a sharp stinging sensation suddenly went up his spine, resonating from his index finger. It only took a moment before he realized he had clumsily gave himself a paper cut.

 

_Gah. I can never understand why a small paper cut can hurt SO MUCH._

 

Jinyoung searched for a band aid or something to cover his index finger, but ultimately gave up as he figured that he never went to a drugstore to pick anything up of the kind. He surrendered on writing the song in his head, as he was feeling some irrational _contempt_ towards the inanimate notebook. Before Jinyoung could make his way back to his bed, he heard the bronze doorknob to his room wiggle ever so slightly.

Jinyoung's heart immediately dropped, as his mind suddenly went to the conclusion that it was probably Jaebum on the other side of the door. Jinyoung was not mentally prepared for this confrontation, even if it has been three days ever since that day. Jinyoung just figured that Jaebum would ask him why he had hugged him like that, and he did not have an answer for that at all, other than the fact that he enjoyed wrapping his arms around him; an answer completely out of context.

However, Jinyoung's nerves calmed itself in an instant when he heard a familiar meek voice call out his name from behind the door, hearing a soft knock that came along with it.

"Come in Mark-hyung, it's open." Jinyoung called out, immediately exhaling the breath he hadn't known he was keeping inside.

Mark slowly opened the door and peeked in the room, his head the only thing going through. "Jinyoungie, is it okay if we talk?" Mark whispered lowly, as if he wasn't so sure of his words.

Jinyoung was _always_ a sucker for people confiding in him. He had always enjoyed listening to people's worries and helping them find a solution with their troubled lives. Although, it was even more interesting that _Mark_ had come to him, since Jinyoung knew that Mark often kept to himself. Also, Jinyoung genuinely cared for Mark, growing close to the older boy in an instant, even if their first meeting was paired with a door hitting Jinyoung square in the forehead. Jinyoung preferred Mark's quiet presence to the rest of the group's wild antics. Mark's personality almost served as a pacemaker that helped calm down the maknaes and Jackson's constant yelling and goofing around, which Jinyoung will always be _eternally_ grateful for.

Jinyoung shimmied over on his bed to give Mark some room, patting the open space on his right. This wasn't the first time where Mark had gone to his room to talk. They usually just talked about anything that past their mind; thoughts about the day's schedules or memories of the past. Though, Jinyoung doesn't really know much about Mark's family, the auburn haired boy usually changing the subject as soon as their words steered towards that direction. Jinyoung knew better than to pester Mark about his problems. He learnt that Mark will come to him when he was ready, and it seemed now was finally the time.

Mark sat with his back against the bed's headboard, looking down on his fingers that were slowly trailing his music note clad arm. Jinyoung knew just by the look on Mark's face that this seemed to be about a more serious matter, rather than their usual random talks. Jinyoung patiently waited for the older to talk, humming an upbeat tune to ease the mood.

Mark slowly lifted his eyes up towards Jinyoung's, eyes filled with worry. "Jinyoung, I think I lo-". Mark immediately stopped talking, forcing Jinyoung to look at Mark's facial expression to determine what had made him suddenly silent. Jinyoung followed Mark's eyes and noticed that it landed on the paper cut he had received earlier.

"Oh. _That._ It's nothing hyung. Just a cut. A painful one, that’s for sure." Jinyoung sassed with a sigh, closing his eyes and shaking his head back and forth. Before he could ask Mark to continue, Jinyoung's hand was suddenly gently clasped by a warm set of hands. "Wai- What?" Jinyoung questioned, looking at Mark with scrutiny.

"Just watch." Mark whispered, almost so low that Jinyoung could barely hear it.

Jinyoung didn't really know what was going through Mark's head. But then again, Mark can be a bit _eccentric_ sometimes _._ But Jinyoung couldn't help but feel a little bit weirded out, since Mark was staring at his wound so intently.

Before Jinyoung could protest and draw his hand away, he suddenly felt a slight warm burn on the finger that had bled moments before. When Jinyoung turned his head down towards his fingers, he literally almost jumped out of the bed in shock, because the paper cut was _gone_. There were absolutely no remnants or evidence of the clumsy incident that happened only moments before. _It had vanished._ Jinyoung froze and looked at Mark, his eyes blown out of shock, the older simply smiling at what he had just accomplished.

"This is my power Jinyoung. I can heal small wounds here and there. I noticed a few days ago when I accidentally scraped my knee and it had started to heal right away in front of my eyes." Mark explained bashfully, his hand scratching his head to ease his nervousness.  "To be honest, I didn't really know if it worked on other people. But I'm happy I was able to heal your small cut the first time I tried it." Mark beamed at Jinyoung, clearly happy with easing his friend's pain.

 

_Well this is better than a band aid…_

 

"Oh…that makes sense. But Jesus Mark. Can you tell me that _before_ you looked like you were about to eat my finger." Jinyoung grumbled, trying to intake the sudden information that was given to him. Jinyoung noted that was probably why Mark's wound that he had gotten from Jackson during their first meeting healed pretty substantially after only a few minutes.

A realization suddenly dawned on Jinyoung. "Hold up. Mark when I first met you, you mentioned that you didn't have any powers. So… you're telling me you met your soulmate already. I hate you. You never told me hyung~" Jinyoung sarcastically exclaimed, feigning hurt that Mark hadn't told him earlier.

Of course Jinyoung knew that Mark's soulmate was Jackson. It was _extremely_ obvious in the way Mark looked at Jackson when the hyperactive blonde was occupied with something else. Jinyoung simply wanted to hear it from Mark's mouth himself. Though, Jinyoung didn't really know how Mark's ability to heal matched Jackson's evergreen tree tattoo on his shoulder.

However, Jinyoung noticed the sudden change on Mark's expression, his face now holding a small frown, the air around them seemingly changing in an instant. "That's the thing Jinyoung. I don't know who it is…" Mark muttered under his breath, his eyes lowering down to the bedsheets.

Jinyoung didn't know whether Mark was fucking with him, because it was painfully obvious that his soulmate was none other than the laughing hyena, Jackson. "Come on Mark, It has got to be Jackson, I see the way you look at him. Don't play stupid with me" Mark slowly turned towards him, Jinyoung immediately noticing the slight sheen in Mark's eyes. That's when he knew in an instant that Mark was not joking around.

It was silent for a few minutes, until Mark decided to break the heavy air surrounding them. "My power doesn't match his tattoo, and to make matters worse-" Mark stopped, inhaling a deep breath before he continued. "it doesn't seem like he has any powers yet. We see each other constantly too, which means that if we were soulmates, he would have already have some sort of magical ability." Mark continued sadly, his words stuttering as his watering eyes searched for comfort in Jinyoung's own brown pools. "What happens if the person's you're falling for isn't your soulmate?" Mark finished, tears beginning to well up in the corners of his eye sockets.

Jinyoung's heart dropped as the final words left Mark's trembling lips. For once in Jinyoung's life, he didn’t know the exact words to comfort another person. All Jinyoung could do was to take Mark into a tight hug, reminding the older that he wasn't alone. They always had each other after all. They both had problems with their hearts at this point, but Jinyoung couldn't fathom the amount of pain Mark must feel at the chance of loving someone that wasn't truly meant for him, fearing the day when Jackson leaves him for his actual soulmate.

They embraced each other for a few more minutes, Mark's body seeming to relax slowly. Mark was about to talk when Jinyoung's door suddenly flew open. Causing the two to suddenly retract from each other.

 

_Speaking of the devil…_

 

Jinyoung managed to give a scowl towards the blonde intruder. Jinyoung did notice an emotion filled with jealousy flicker in an instant on the blonde's expression. "Jackson, what the fuck. Have you ever heard of knocking?" Jinyoung managed to yell, narrowing his eyes towards Jackson 

However, Jackson's eyes weren't fixed on his own, but rather on Mark's. Jinyoung felt the palpable tension in the gaze between the two, almost causing the hairs on his arm to rise. Jackson's eyes were filled with worry, noticing the reddening features on Mark's eyes and cheeks. While Mark's pools were completely filled with a mix of emotions; sadness, longing, confusion and love. 

 

_Just what is going on with these two…_

 

Jackson suddenly snapped back into reality, focusing his eyes onto Jinyoung. "Jinyoung, can you _please_ make Jaebum happier again." Jackson whined, dropping himself onto Jinyoung's bed.

 

_What the hell._

 

How did Jackson know that Jaebum was feeling any different. Surely Jaebum acted towards the others in a normal way, Jinyoung was sure of it. Maybe Jaebum had confided in Jackson, but then again, that seemed to be a longshot in itself. Though, Jinyoung decided that was the only logical cause. "Jackson…what did Jaebum tell you?

"Nothing." Jackson rolled his eyes, as if Jinyoung just asked him a stupid question. "Wasn't it obvious to you guys. Jaebum was _clearly_ not acting like himself." Jackson continued, his eyes glancing every now and then towards Mark. 

"You sure Jackson…he seems pretty normal to me." Mark chimed in normally with a smile and an even tone.

 

_What..._

 

Jinyoung looked at Mark up and down and noticed that his mood completely turned a full 180 degrees, now sporting a wide grin on his face. How is Mark already in a happy mood after what he _had_ just talked about. Did Jackson make him _this_ happy? The fact that Jackson also noticed Jaebum's true emotions that no one had seemed to see besides Jinyoung -for obvious reasons-, was unusual in itself. Jinyoung tried to wrap his head around just how weird this situation seems to be playing out.

Then it hit him.

 

_Could it be…No it can't be that._

 

His thoughts were cut off by Jackson suddenly forcefully shoving his pouting face in front of Jinyoung's face. God, the fact that Jackson can get his way with a mere facial expression should be illegal.

"Jinyoung-ie go ask Jaebum on a date, to make him feel better~." Jackson cooed, maximizing his pout to the highest level. Jinyoung's cheeks immediately flushing a bright red as soon as the word 'date' left Jackson's mouth. Truthfully, Jinyoung did want to resolve this thing between him and Jaebum, as he didn't want it to be affecting the group. But still…Jinyoung didn't want to confront Jaebum just yet.

"I think that'll be a good idea." Mark agreed, rubbing Jinyoung's shoulders slowly. Jinyoung just scowled at Mark, noting that the older should be on _his_ side.

It took a couple more minutes of constant prodding from the two before Jinyoung finally broke. Honestly, Mark's attempt at a pout is what made Jinyoung break his resolve, not having the ability to hold in his laughter. Jackson jumped and squealed like a kid once Jinyoung finally agreed, grabbing Mark's hand along with his to join in with his celebrations. Jinyoung didn't push back the smile that creeped on his face at the sight of the two in front of him. They both looked so happy and free. Jinyoung was almost jealous, but he _knew_ that Jackson and Mark will eventually be okay, despite what Mark had just told him.

On the other hand, Jinyoung didn't really know what he had gotten himself into. First of all, how the hell was he going to ask Jaebum out privately after their last interaction. Second, it was an understatement to say that Jinyoung was terrified in Jaebum's reaction to him _basically_ asking him to a date. Finally, Jinyoung could feel his heart beating faster at the thought of spending some time alone with Jaebum. But he decided to ignore it, since the reason why he's making peace with Jaebum isn't for his own selfish reasons, but for the wellbeing of the group. At least…that's what Jinyoung tried to believe.

Before Mark could exit the his bedroom, Jinyoung quickly pulled him back inside, gaining the attention of the older in an instant. Jinyoung received a very confused look, Mark slightly tilting his head to one side.

"Mark… I think I might know Jackson's ma-"

"MARK-HYUNGGG LETS GO WATCH A MOVIE." Jackson suddenly grabbed Mark's other wrist, effectively silencing Jinyoung, leaving a bewildered Mark. All Jinyoung could do was shoot a small smile towards Mark, hoping he had gotten the message he was trying to convey before they were interrupted… _again._

Jinyoung closed his door, making his way towards his bed as he willed his thoughts to calm down so he could get some rest. As Jinyoung closed his eyes and let sleep take him in, the last image he saw was a picture of his favourite smile.

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Yugyeom-ah, Good job today. You pretty much led the dance choreography." Jaebum exclaimed with a wide grin, ruffling the hair of their youngest member.

GOT7 just finished practicing some choreography for their first upcoming single, and Jinyoung groaned as he noticed that the day was pretty much over at this point, seeing as the sun was already making its way down. Jinyoung loved his job as a Korean idol, but the sass in him was just naturally there and he couldn't help but complain to himself just how much he wishes that he had more free time. Jinyoung promised himself that he'd at least write that song that's been stuck in his head for the past couple of days eventually.

It's been two days since Mark and Jackson came to his room to basically beg him to perk up their leader. Truthfully, Jinyoung was still pretty shook in how _observant_ Jackson was. But then again, Jinyoung knew _exactly_ why that was the case. He'll let Mark figure out for himself, Jinyoung was always enjoyed a bit of harmless drama here and there. Anyways, he didn't want to meddle in the two _clearly oblivious_ duo's relationship, as it will work itself out in time.

But still, Jinyoung couldn’t bring himself to ask Jaebum out privately. There was a moment where Jaebum and him were alone in the kitchen, just cooking some breakfast early in the morning. It would have been the perfect time to ask Jaebum, but Jinyoung chickened out and almost burnt himself due to his nerves being set on fire whenever he made eye contact with the chestnut haired leader. Why did Jaebum have to be blessed with such _intimidating_ eyes?

"Let's go back to the dorm guys and change." Jackson suddenly blurted out, trying to push all the members quickly out of the door. "Mark-hyung promised me that he'll treat us out for BBQ" Jackson finished with a triumphant grin, sending a wink towards the auburn-haired boy.

"Jacks…" Mark muttered, his eyes rolling slowly. "I never said anything _remotely_ like that." 

"It's alright Mark. I think im going to stay back and practice the choreography a couple more times." Jaebum interjected politely with a warm smile. "You guys go on ahead." Jaebum finished, waving them off towards the door.

The rest of GOT7 automatically heeded the words of their leader and exited the room, so that Jaebum can have his alone time. However, Jinyoung suddenly got hit by a realization that _this_ was a perfect moment to ask Jaebum to go out. He can probably push the older to go get something to eat after his private training, as he should be tired and hungry by the end of it. Although, Jinyoung didn't really want the others to notice that he'll be waiting for Jaebum, since they'll probably be skeptical. So he decided to simply tell them a white lie. It wouldn’t hurt.

As the group of six was about to turn the corner of the hallway, Jinyoung suddenly stopped in his tracts. "Aiyah..guys, I'm going to go to the washroom real quick. Go ahead and don't wait for me. I'll catch up." Jinyoung fibbed, feigning embarrassment in his features, shooting Mark a knowing look. To Jinyoung's relief, the group understood and continued to turn the corner, though Mark gave him an encouraging smile before he turned around. Also, Jackson seemed to know _exactly_ what Jinyoung was going to do, seeing as a shit-eating grin was plastered onto his face as soon as Jinyoung spoke. That blonde was impossible. 

Jinyoung returned to the door that led to the dance studio, hearing the low hum of the music that played inside. He didn't really want to intrude in Jaebum's practice, so he just sat down beside the door, hoping that Jaebum didn't take too long. Jinyoung brought his head to his knees and closed his eyes, forcing his breathing to even out, in order to regain his composure. Jinyoung didn't really know how this situation was going to play out.

 

This _terrified_ him.

 

Usually Jinyoung would calculate every action he takes in life, like a chess player mapping out moves that would happen two or three rounds in the future. Jinyoung can usually predict with great accuracy what will happen in every given situation, being both intelligent and intuitive allowed him to always keep himself on his feet. However, the feeling of uncertainty and unpredictability of his current situation is making him incredibly nervous, to the point where he can feel his palms becoming increasingly moist.

However, Jinyoung also knows that the best things that happen in life shouldn’t be planned, rather the spontaneous events that occur in one's life usually make the most vivid memories; bad or good. Jinyoung just wished that this time around, luck will be on his side and Jaebum will at least act normal around him again.  After all, he loved Jaebum and he was Jinyoung's soulmate. Even if Jaebum didn't love him back just yet, it would work itself out eventually. That was enough, right?

 

_Righ-_

 

***THUD***

 

Jinyoung didn't even think twice to decide where the loud noise -sounding like flesh hitting a hard floor- came from. He stood up immediately and threw the door wide open, rushing inside to assess the accident.

What Jinyoung saw was a very, _very_ ironic sight, feeling a sense of déjà vu hitting him like a truck. Jaebum was unnaturally splayed on the floor, clutching his left ankle, with the most uncomfortable facial expression on his face. As soon as Jaebum noticed his presence, he quickly hid his pained face under his chestnut coloured sweaty locks, trying to regain some of his lost pride. However, being the good person Jinyoung was, he was trying to inhibit the laughter that wanted to spill from his mouth. But, he never really had _that_ much self-control, especially when it comes to Jaebum.

"What are you laughing at…" Jaebum grimaced, trying to prop himself back up, but failing once his sprained ankle proved to be quite difficult to overcome. "Rude." Jaebum huffed with a sneer towards Jinyoung, the black haired boy now helping Jaebum up into a nearby chair. Jinyoung was still laughing at Jaebum's attempts at declining Jinyoung's help, when the injured boy _clearly_ needed some help. Though, Jinyoung did notice a small smile that appeared at the very crook of Jaebum's lips, which gave Jinyoung at least some assurance that he wasn't completely unwanted.

 

_He's so damn stubborn._

 

Jinyoung just stood in front of Jaebum with his arms crossed on his chest, giving the older a sly smirk. "You know what this reminds me of Jaebum-hyung, that time when y-"

"Jinyoung…don't remind me." Jaebum interrupted, a flash of red covering his cheeks for a second, turning away from Jinyoung's gaze.

There was a time when he and Jaebum were practicing really intensely before their debut as JJProject, repeating the choreography a hundred times that day in order to perfect it in every single way. Jaebum had pushed himself too much and sprained his ankle back then, _exactly_ the same way it had happened today. "History repeats itself huh? At least this time, I wasn't there to see you actually fall. Would have been a funny sight." Jinyoung chuckled teasingly, earning a small grin from Jaebum.

However, a sudden silence soon permeated the room in an instant, as both boys realized that this was the first time they had talked to each other properly, ever since _that_ day. Jinyoung could literally _feel_ the awkward tension between both of them, his back now slightly turned away from Jaebum. Maybe this wasn't the right time after all. Maybe it was all too early. Jinyoung risked a glance towards Jaebum, noticing that he was also looking at the floor, probably deciding what to say.

Jinyoung felt his heart beat picking up its pace again, his breath becoming more shallow and his palms becoming sweatier. He couldn't handle it anymore. Jinyoung twisted his heels towards the door painfully slow, willing his sudden stiff legs to move.

 

_I guess there will always be tomorro-_

 

"Please stay."

Jinyoung could barely hear those two words, but it was just enough for him to stop in his tracts, hoping what he had heard wasn't false. Jinyoung could swear the beat of his heart could be heard around the studio at this point.

"Please stay Jinyoung." Jaebum whispered just enough for Jinyoung to clearly hear this time. Jinyoung couldn't bring himself to turn around, for doing so will make him break into tears. The amount of pent up emotions he had had to hide from everyone was about to break when he heard Jaebum's voice. It pained him to endure not talking to Jaebum properly for the past couple of days, his mind constantly thinking that they will never become normal again. Also, he missed that voice so much. _So damn much._

"Do you hate me Jinyoung?" Jaebum hushed under his breath, barely audible to Jinyoung's ears.

As soon as Jinyoung heard this, he felt a sudden burst of passion in his chest and a burning need to tell Jaebum he was _completely_ wrong.

But no words came.

Jinyoung's body moved on its own free will and ran towards Jaebum's side in an instant and embraced him just as he did during that day, praying that Jaebum wouldn't push him aside this time. He did feel Jaebum noticeably turn rigid as soon as his arms were wrapped around his body, though he relaxed soon after, his shoulders drooping down. Jinyoung couldn't savor in the embrace, being too scared in turning this moment just like the previous painful memory. So he let go slowly with a smile, rubbing Jaebum's shoulders instinctively.

"Don't be stupid hyung. I would never hate you. You know that." Jinyoung managed to say, now noticing how dry his mouth had become during the previous silent moments.

Jaebum looked up at him, Jinyoung noticing the clear pain in those familiar dark brown pools. "Bu-But, I'm so-"

"Don't worry about it Jaebum. I know exactly how you can make it up to me." Jinyoung exclaimed, forcing a happy smile on his face as to allow the darkening mood in the room to disappear. Though, the electric pace Jinyoung's heart was beating wasn't planning to slow down soon, no matter how much Jinyoung tried ignore it.

"Come here and don't complain." Jinyoung warned, kneeling towards Jaebum, putting the other's arm around his neck, effectively allowing Jaebum to stand up and lean on Jinyoung for support. Jinyoung was hypersensitive to the warmth of Jaebum's arm around his neck, wishing that they were around his figure instead, drawing back the memories of _that drunken night_ in his head. He quickly shook those thoughts away and focused on Jaebum's injury. "How's your ankle feeling?"

Jinyoung drew his eyes towards Jaebum, noticing that the older was currently in a trance, his eyes looking straight ahead. Jinyoung decided to repeat his question, only then did Jaebum shake and answered that he was fine, his ankle already feeling a lot better. Jinyoung just nodded in response, shooting a wide smile to match the same grin on Jaebum's face.

Jinyoung's nerves were at an all-time high. It was a miracle that he was able to keep his composure with Jaebum's warm arm draped over him and his face just inches away from his own. But, Mark and Jackson's words suddenly echoed in Jinyoung's mind, reminding him that the reason why he waited for Jaebum in the first place was for the group, and _not_ himself. However, Jinyoung's body responded on its own, despite his morals telling him otherwise. He knew for a fact that his heart will race during the entire night with Jaebum. He _simply_ couldn't help it. But alas, Jinyoung tried to control it, even when he knew his effort was futile.

"Let's go get something to eat Jaebum-hyung."

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

"Shut up Jinyoung, I'm not that harsh to the newbies." Jaebum huffed, ruffling his chestnut hair as he looked at Jinyoung with feigned contempt.

"Alright. _If you say so_ hyung." Jinyoung answered back, rolling his eyes dramatically as he scoffed. They decided to go to a nearby convenience store to grab a quick bite to eat, Jaebum's ankle healing itself enough to allow him to walk on his own. The duo were now currently on a bench that overlooked a lake, both carrying some form of junk food in their hands.

Jinyoung looked towards the horizon of the lake, now dark and mysterious due to it being close to midnight. He couldn't help but think how romantic this is, just two soulmates eating in front of a relaxing body of water, listening to the soft lull of the waves sloshing about. However, Jinyoung knew they picked this specific bench just because it was the closest to the convenience store, not wanting to strain Jaebum's ankle further.

The walk to the convenience store wasn't too awkward. They had talked about the new members and how much they had grown close over the past couple of days. Jaebum even mentioned the startling relationship between Mark and Jackson, at least Jinyoung wasn't the only one that noticed. Jinyoung did notice that Jaebum was avoiding a _ny_ subject pertaining to his outburst on Jackson. Furthermore, Jaebum was making the constant effort to distance himself physically just enough as to not be too close, which hurt Jinyoung's pride, but he knew where it came from. Jaebum wasn't there just yet. He told himself he didn't mind it, but his heart told a different story.

The two were now basking in the soft silence that encompassed them, both looking directly towards the lake. Jinyoung's eyes turned towards Jaebum and took in the sight of his focused features. Sharp eyes drawn into a crease as if his current thoughts were overwhelming, and his lips pursed tightly as if to prevent words from escaping. Jinyoung knew that they had to talk about what had happened eventually.

"You know Jaebum-hyung. You can let your guard down around me." Jinyoung managed to say as he drew his eyes towards the grass below them, noticing that Jaebum had broken out of his trance and was now staring at him. "I know you want to put up that tough aura, but you can relax sometimes y'know. You'll do great as our leader. I'm here for you." Jinyoung said encouragingly as he lifted his head up and smiled towards the chestnut haired boy, noticing his features relaxing.

Jinyoung knew that Jaebum took his role very seriously, the tendency of keeping the pressure all to himself. Jinyoung just wanted Jaebum to know that he was there for him, even if it wasn't entirely to the level Jinyoung wanted it to be at. But for now, Jinyoung wanted to at least make Jaebum's life a little easier, putting his own heart on the back burner. 

Jaebum stared at Jinyoung with wide eyes for a couple more seconds before lowering his lids and sending a small smile and a nod towards the black haired boy. Another round of comfortable silence surrounded the two as they finished their food. Jinyoung didn't really mind this since it gave him time to formulate what to say next. Jinyoung wasn't exactly stressed or anxious, it was moreso that weird feeling in knowing he had to put an extra filter on what he said. While Jaebum was more relaxed now, he was still a bit more rigid towards him, Jinyoung noticing that Jaebum was being careful not to overstep himself.

 

 _We should probably go now,_ Jinyoung thought to himself, as he started to pull his legs up the bench.

 

Before he could fully stand up, a strong grip snatched his wrist, instantly making Jinyoung's attention turn towards Jaebum. Jaebum's eyes were now soft and calm, a sight that Jinyoung didn't really get to see that often. Jinyoung didn't resist when the hand around his wrist willed him to sit back down. He then looked towards Jaebum, expecting the older to say something, seeing as he had interrupted his actions.

But no words came. Instead Jaebum dark brown pools gazed intently into Jinyoung's face, making Jinyoung feel slightly intimidated, almost flinching back. However, Jaebum's gaze also made Jinyoung feel calm…and weirdly _protected,_ as if Jaebum's eyes alone will be able to protect him from any danger _._ Also, Jaebum's eyes expressed an emotion as if he was trying to tell him something, but Jinyoung couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

Before Jinyoung could joke about the sudden change in Jaebum's demeanor, Jaebum suddenly leaned closer. As cliché as it may seem, as soon as Jinyoung saw Jaebum lean in, he literally felt time slow down, his thoughts becoming increasingly sensitive to the changes in his body. Jinyoung could feel his chest beat faster and faster, his stomach sporting a weird feeling surrounding it and all Jinyoung's mind could think about is that _it's_ finally going to happen.

Jinyoung's eyes latched on Jaebum's body, who was now moving painfully slow to diminish the space in between them. As if on instinct, Jinyoung's own body matched Jaebum's pace, his upper body leaning towards his soulmate. Jinyoung knew what was going to happen next, so he let his lids close and licked his lips, preparing it for the pressure it will soon receive.

Suddenly, he felt a slight pressure on the crook of his lip, guessing that Jaebum must _have missed_. He chuckled to himself, pulling a small grin on his lips. He couldn't believe how silly Jaebum was, a sassy retort slowly making its way out of his lips. "Jaebu-"

Before Jinyoung could finish, the small pressure on the corner of his lips swiped across his cheek before disappearing completely. Jinyoung instantly realized what Jaebum was actually doing, making his heart drop with the pure embarrassment he had just ridiculed himself into. Jinyoung opened his eyes to a confused Jaebum, making his own breath hitch even further.

"Jinyoung…you okay? You look a bit weird." Jaebum muttered, looking away from Jinyoung rigidly and staring at the lake once more. "You h-had a bit of chocolate on the corner of your lip." Jaebum stuttered, fidgeting with his hands before wiping the dark stain on his thumb on his jeans.

 

_I'm such an idiot._

 

Surely Jaebum had noticed what he was preparing for, quite obvious with his pursed lips, closed eyes and everything. Jinyoung felt like such a fool, jumping to conclusions once again. He was playing such a dangerous game at this point with Jaebum. But then again, Jaebum didn't _exactly_ turn away and run at his clearly obvious intentions. Maybe he still stood a chance? But still, Jinyoung's heart was now racing even faster, his mind replaying the entire scene that just occurred, thinking of just how stupid he looked.

 _Another_ time of silence dropped on the two, Jinyoung trying to assess how to start another conversation after what had just happened. He couldn't really say, "Hey, yea. Sorry I tried to kiss you, like a thirsty whale." Jinyoung humoured himself, trying to at least ease his nerves so he can talk again. Instead, they both looked across the lake's horizons, the moonlight reflecting off the water beautifully.

Jinyoung's daze was broken off by the low voice of Jaebum's suddenly cutting the silence in the atmosphere. "You're my best friend Jinyoung. You know that right?" Jaebum whispered, drawing his head back to look up at the darkening clouds.

"What type of question is that hyung. Of course I know that. You idiot." Jinyoung playfully said as he lightly punched Jaebum's shoulder, all the anxiety gone in his mind from before. Even if Jinyoung was happy to hear Jaebum affirming their relationship, he couldn't help but feel some sort of pain in his chest at the mention of the word " _friend_ ". Jinyoung knew he wanted more from Jaebum, but at this point, all Jinyoung really wanted was for Jaebum to talk to him normally like he once did before. He didn't care if his feelings weren't reciprocated right away, knowing that it'll work itself out in the future -when Jaebum finally opens his goddamn eyes-. For now, this should be enough. _Should._

"Let's go back to the dorm before the others get worried hyung. After all, they need their big _dad_ to guide them." Jinyoung joked as he sent a grin towards Jaebum, standing up from the bench and allowing his limbs to stretch.

"Oh shut up Jinyoung. _You're_ the _mom_ of the group; like that's any better." Jaebum fired back as he groaned into his hand, pushing himself up from the bench, making his way towards their dorm. "You coming?" Jaebum beckoned, cocking his head to the side as he noticed Jinyoung was just staring at him, figure frozen.

"Y-yea." Jinyoung stuttered visibly, almost tripping on his own two feet as he made his way behind the advancing Jaebum. Jinyoung's thoughts were circling around the fact that they both had just joked about being the _dad_ and _mom_ of the group. _Of course_ that would make some quite _interesting_ thoughts float around Jinyoung's head; notably about big white houses and baby cribs. But these thoughts were completely for a different time zone…and dimension. 

The rest of the walk towards the dorm were filled with mostly reminiscing about JJProject and the good things that had changed ever since they welcomed five new members in their lives. However, Jinyoung's thoughts were pre-occupied with what had happened tonight with Jaebum. Ultimately, Jinyoung was glad to have the _real_ Jaebum back in his life again. It was nice to finally hear Jaebum talking to him without that barrier, making Jinyoung smile all the way back home.

When the two reached their dorm, they said their quick goodbyes and Jinyoung drew himself a bath, excited to get rid of the filth that accumulated during the busy day. He waited a few minutes to let the water reach a suitable level in the tub before he soaked his entire body inside, sighing deeply when the warm water hit his aching figure.

Jinyoung slowly allowed his eyes to close as he began to think about the day's events; more specifically, his _date_ with Jaebum. He remembered being so anxious about asking the older boy out for a snack, laughing as the memory of Jaebum's cute angry face passed his mind when he had walked in on Jaebum. He also recalled Jaebum's handsome features he'd engraved into his mind when Jaebum was leaning towards him, scolding himself once again on how idiotic he must have looked with his pursed lips.

The scene that stood out to Jinyoung the most was the moment when Jaebum had called him his _best friend._ Normally, it would be a pretty heart-warming word to hear…when you aren't in love with the person who said it. Jinyoung vividly remembers the way his heart constricted when those words left Jaebum's mouth. It was painful to be marked as something less than what he wanted to be or achieve.

Ultimately though, Jinyoung just wanted Jaebum to be in his life. He'd rather have Jaebum as a friend…than nothing at all. Of course he wants his feelings to be reciprocated. But he knew that love isn't something that can be forced, even when the world's inhabitants were born with their own respective soulmates. Jinyoung knew that there were hints here and there that Jaebum felt the same way, like when Jaebum had smoothed out the chocolate stain out of his lips earlier. Jaebum could have easily told him that he had a chocolate on his face, but the other had opted to a more _active_ and _romantic_ way. Jinyoung didn't want to look too much into it and draw conclusions too quickly -something he's been doing quite often-. He knew Jaebum loved him…just not the way Jinyoung wants it to be, hoping that there will eventually be a time when he can call Jaebum _his._ But for now, _best friends_ will have to do.

Jinyoung's eyes suddenly flew open when he noticed the warm water surrounding his suddenly turned _cooler,_ his skin that wasn't submerged becoming increasingly _colder._ To Jinyoung's amusement, his brown pools landed upon a scene straight from a _winter wonderland._ Snowflakes seemed to be appearing straight out of the ceiling, softly landing on the bathroom tiles and on himself. Jinyoung marveled at the sight, letting some snowflakes hit his tongue like a small kid, his chest feeling all giddy and light.

Jinyoung realized that he must have unconsciously turned the steam in the room from the warm bath into _snowflakes_ when he had his eyes closed. He was told that one's powers will manifest in their fullest when their emotions were at its strongest. He guesses that thinking about Jaebum so deeply and reminiscing about today's events must have triggered something inside him, activating his powers due to pure emotion alone.

Jinyoung allowed a small snowflake land on the very end of his index fingertip, the intricate pattern of ice refusing to melt into Jinyoung's skin. He stared longingly at the beautiful thin piece of frozen water, wishing that someday, Jaebum would look at him the same way. 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

_My name is Park Jinyoung._

 

_And for the first time in my life,_

 

_I wasn't satisfied to be called as someone's best friend,_

 

_When all I wanted was to go by a different title._

 

_'Significant Other'_

 

_'Boyfriend'_

 

_'Lover'_

 

_'The One'_

 

_'His'._

 

_But I ultimately learned that being something,_

 

_Is better than becoming nothing at all._

 

_I know that sometimes I can be cold and sharp tongued,_

 

_Just like the frigid winter wind._

 

_But I hope that he can see pass that,_

 

_For my heart is filled with snowflakes carved in the image of him,_

 

_Both beautiful and fragile._

 

_I just wish one day,_

 

_My question will be answered,_

 

_'Will Jaebum ever like the snow too?'_

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be featuring GOT7's resident puppy, Wang Jackson. I have planned out almost the entirety of this series, summing up to a total of 25+ chapters ^^. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and tell me what you think so far (comments make me happy af :D ) ! 
> 
> Till next time, Take care ~


	9. Jackson Wang Pt. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS! 
> 
> Sorry I haven't updated in a long time, university just beginning to pick up its pace. However, I managed to write bits and pieces of this chapter in between classes :D. Hope you guys like the chapter, showing a slight sneak peek to the wild and sexy Jackson Wang. (This chapter wasn't beta-ed, sorry ;_;. )
> 
> Enjoy~

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

_God…He's so beautiful. I swear it's illegal to look that good, with his perfectly styled auburn hair and bright smile. Not to mention his flawless physique, both toned and slim from the obvious time he had spent in the dance studio. If only I could take his hand in mine, or have the chance to kis-_

"Jackson. You're doing it again." Jaebum sighed deeply as he rolled his eyes, his fingers finding an empty grocery cart, pulling it from the rest. "Yo. Pay attention and stop day dreaming about Mark" Jaebum scolded lightly as he playfully hit Jackson's shoulder, eliciting a tiny groan from the blonde. "You'll have plenty of time for that _after_ we get groceries done today. Jinyoung's going to kill me if he finds out there's nothing in the fridge." the chestnut elder groaned to himself as the duo pushed through the entrance of the supermarket.

Truthfully, Jackson didn't really _know_ when he was daydreaming about Mark. It kinda just happens, almost as if it was an instinct that was suddenly awoken inside him not too long ago. Though, Jackson didn't really mind his thoughts being filled to the brim with images of Mark. Whether it be pictures of that signature grin or the sound of that _extremely_ cute giggle, Jackson made sure to indulge himself. After all, who wouldn't want pictures of the cute and adorable Mark Tuan in there head. But then again, he didn't really want anyone else having these thoughts besides him.

Although, he still felt guilty that the very first time he had met Mark was right after his foot connected onto the other's forehead. Jackson's mind couldn’t comprehend that amount of panic whirling inside his head when he saw Mark fall to the ground, lying unconscious for a few minutes. He honestly thought he was going to get kicked out of JYP in that instant, literally harming another trainee within a matter of minutes.

However, when Mark regained consciousness, Jackson's pools immediately locked onto Mark's own. Jackson couldn't understand what he was feeling back then, but he felt some sort of gravitational pull towards the auburn haired boy, almost as if his body had a will of its own. He remembers stuttering his words, forgetting the ability to form coherent sentences as his mind couldn’t comprehend why his heart was beating so damn fast. Although _now,_ Jackson knows exactly why he felt like his chest was about to explode during that moment, only coming to one possible conclusion. Mark was his soulmate -or at least only Jackson _knew_ himself-. The blonde's mood suddenly damped a tone, quickly occupying himself in picking up a bundle of bananas as Jaebum disappeared into another aisle.

Jackson shook his negative thoughts away as he consciously brought back his sunny exterior. Even if he was feeling somewhat under the dumps, it didn't mean he had to ruin Jaebum-hyung' s mood too. He made his way towards Jaebum and greeted his elder with a bright smile that hid the emotions that Jackson wasn't willing to show. "Got the bananas~" Jackson exclaimed happily as he plopped the yellow fruit into the cart, Jaebum giving him an affirming nod.

Jackson noticed that Jaebum was pretty focused on getting the grocery shopping done as quick as possible, clear through the older's tight knit eyebrows and focused gaze. But, Jackson does pride himself for fixing things between Jinyoung and Jaebum a few days ago, although all he did was pretty much force Jinyoung to fix it. Though, he didn't really understand that _no one_ else had noticed Jaebum's clearly different attitude towards Jinyoung. It was painfully obvious to him that their leader was distressed about something, his intuition telling him almost immediately. Although, Jackson doesn't really remember being _this_ empathetic or compassionate, now becoming almost hyper-sensitive to others' emotions.

"Yo hyung, how are you and Jinyoung?" Jackson asked casually, grabbing a bottle of ranch as they walked down the aisle. God did Jackson love ranch dressing, but he made sure to also note to buy a new package _of_ organic green tea and some cheese strings. Before Jackson could pry Jaebum further, since he didn't get an answer right away, he saw the chestnut haired leader visibly freeze for a fraction of a second, jaw flexing shut.

"What do you mean Jackson?" Jaebum answered with a deep breath, Jackson noticing his tone calm but with something rather _aggressive_ in its undertone.

In an instant, Jackson felt a familiar _click_ inside his head and could now clearly _feel_ the anxiety and anger rising in Jaebum on his _own_ body. Jackson quickly listened to his intuition to change the subject immediately, as Jaebum's emotions were now overpowering his own body. "Never mind hyung. 'Was just wondering, not important…er…do we need THESE? " Jackson muttered almost incoherently, grabbing a small box from the shelf nearby, noticing Jaebum's mood calm down considerably with the change of conversation.

"Jackson." Jaebum firmly said, staring at the box that Jackson had forcefully shoved into Jaebum's face. "Those are a box of tampons." Jaebum sighed into his palm, a small chuckle managing to escape.

Jackson flipped the box so he could see the front packaging for himself, groaning as he realized how stupid he must have looked. However, he did notice the slight grin on Jaebum's face, proud that his _somewhat_ intelligent plan to change the subject went well, erasing all the embarrassment he felt from grabbing the wrong box.

But still, what the hell was _that._ It was almost as he could feel Jaebum's negative emotions being drawn towards him, latching on his own body as if to inform his mind what the other was feeling on an _entirely_ different level. However, this wasn't the first time it had happened to him, the same feeling reappearing when he would comfort Bambam when the boy from Thailand became homesick. In contrast, when Mark had been so ecstatic in pulling off a flip successfully in one of their choreographies, Jackson felt the extreme happiness and joy radiating off of Mark's figure. But then again, he wasn't sure whether that was his empathy or the fact that he was basically _drawn_ to Mark nowadays.

 

_Whatever. Must have been because me and Jaebum are such good friends now, giving me the ability to know him almost inside out now._

 

"Jaebum-hyunggg~, can we get this please?" Jackson pouted as he grabbed onto Jaebum's arm for extra effect. 

"Remind me _never_ to take you out to grocery again Jacks." Jaebum declared lowly, sighing as he grabbed a couple of bags of potato chips, knowing well enough that the other five waiting for them will want the same thing.

"This is why you're my favourite hyung." Jackson stated happily as he hopped his way ahead of sighing Jaebum, singing a tune to himself.

The rest of the shopping trip went by pretty fast as they decided to split up the shopping list in order to be more efficient, rather than just finding things together. In about 30 minutes, their grocery cart was now filled to the brim with fruits, meat and an unhealthy amount of snacks -courtesy of Jackson of course-, finally making their way to the checkout line.

Jaebum grudgingly saw Jackson wrap the entire length of his two arms around bags of potato chips and other snacks. "Jinyoung is _going_ to kill me." Jaebum whispered to himself.

"What was that hyung?" Jackson questioned, a huge grin plastered on his face as he marveled at all the different types of flavours that chips came in, squealing a _tiny_ bit when he placed an expensive box of organic green tea he managed to persuade Jaebum into buying on the moving belt.

"Nothing Jackson… _Nothing._ " Jaebum sighed to himself for the umpteenth time that day.

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

"Jackson-hyung, I'm a bit nervous on our upcoming performance. We never presented anything yet as a group…" Bambam grumbled beside Jackson on the dorm's couch, the younger's head lying comfortably on Jackson's shoulder.

"We'll be okay Bambam. We've been practicing day and night, we'll be perfect!" Jackson exclaimed cheerfully, aiming to calm Bambam's nerves by reassuring them that they will be okay.

But, Jackson couldn’t help but feel on edge himself, the anxiety slowly eating him up. It was mostly due to the fear of _failing_ and the thought of leaving his parents in Hong Kong to be all a waste. JYP had told them last week that they will be performing during a fall banquet for the staff of JYPE. While nothing will be shown  to the public, Jackson knew this was JYP's way of basically gauging on whether GOT7 will be fit to debut together. Their performance date was slowly creeping up and he still had a lot of doubts on his own dancing and vocals.

However, Jackson wasn't the type of person to wallow in their doubts and anxiety, he knew that the only way to make those emotions disappear was to continue pushing. Pushing until all those nasty thoughts that would normally bring him down were disintegrated. That's why he had decided to go to the dance studio later on to practice until his lungs gave out, both to perfect the dance and to calm his nerves. 

Jackson could also very much _feel_ the varying emotions in the group. Not surprisingly, both Jaebum and Jinyoung didn’t seem nervous at all, for they were already veterans, being JJProject before becoming GOT7. He noticed Youngjae was diligently focusing on nailing those high notes, often practicing past midnight, making Jackson worried for their resident songbird's vocal chords. In contrast, Yugyeom and Bambam were both quite high-strung and Jackson took upon himself to make sure their two youngest members were taken care off, usually pushing the two maknaes to relieve their stress one way or another. On the other hand, Mark was cal-

Jackson's thoughts were cut when he felt Bambam's tiny head lift, feeling the change of pressure on his shoulder. "I think I'm going to go make Yugyeom-ie play some video games with me-" Bambam announced, pushing himself off the couch as he flashed a bright smile towards Jackson. "Thanks hyung." Bambam finished with a childish grin.

Before Jackson could answer, Bambam was already gone in a _flash._ The kid from Thailand has recently discovered his magical ability to move at lightning speed, scaring the young boy the first time he found out. Jackson remembered being knocked to the ground the other morning as he made his way to the kitchen, only realizing it was Bambam when he heard a meek _sorry_ from the ground. After all, Bambam was still learning how to control his powers, so Jackson didn't mind it and ended up ruffling the younger's morning bed head.

Jackson looked around the living room, putting his feet up on the coffee table in front of him, allowing himself to rest his muscles before training again. His eyes latched on an big baby blue pullover that laid on top of the one-person couch. He knew exactly who it belonged to, remembering just how adorable the wearer looked inside the oversized top.

 

_Mark._

 

Jackson's final thoughts before he let sleep overtake him were flashes of memories depicting the one person that's been occupying his mind ever since they met, never once forgetting just how captivating that one specific smile was.

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

Jackson suddenly jolted awake with the pressure of something solid repeatedly poking his sides, forcing him to elicit a sharp laugh as he tried to figure out who rudely interrupted his nap. When Jackson flicked his eyes to his left, his pools met a familiar set of brown eyes, his breath instantly being stolen away from him when he realized who it belonged to.

"M-Mark-hyung, w-what's up?" Jackson uncharacteristically stuttered, caught by surprise by the literal angel that suddenly appeared by his side. Only now did Jackson notice a baby blue pullover draped over his figure, making him blush furiously and stomach knot with a feeling he could only explain as _butterflies._ This is the effect Mark had on Jackson, a simple gesture speaking volumes, making his heart flutter all the way to the sky.

Mark timidly smiled at Jackson, before focusing on the TV open in front of him, the volume giving a soft lull to the room. "Sorry Jacks. It's already getting late and I know you don't like taking long naps." Mark muttered as he ran his slightly shaking fingers through his auburn hair, face still facing the television screen. Jackson on the other hand was now unconsciously staring at how Mark's hair fell down naturally on his face after being swept up.

"Oh. Don't be so-"

"I also put m-my pullover on you. You seemed like you w-were a bit cold during your nap." Mark interjected with a higher volume than he probably intended, Jackson noticing a small blush rising in the older's cheeks.

Jackson's heart was literally going to explode. The fact that Mark remembered a small tidbit about him not liking long naps made his heart swell even further. Not to mention that Mark Tuan -yes _Mark Tuan-,_ basically admitted into watching him sleep, even going the extra length in making sure he was warm and toasty. Jackson had to fight back the squeal threatening to leave his mouth, knowing that Mark was already embarrassed enough.

Jackson ended up settling for a simple _Thanks,_ hooking his own arm around Mark's, squeezing it affectionately as he laid his head onto the older's shoulder. Mark looked down onto Jackson, an expression of shock appearing for a split second, before melting into a warm and genuine smile. This type of skinship was normal within the group, so it was okay to indulge in this physical touch a little while longer. Though, Jackson wished it meant more than two friends enjoying each other's company. Jackson wanted to cuddle deeper and melt into Mark, but the last time he had tried that, Mark's body tensed up and moved slightly away, ultimately hurting Jackson's pride.

It wasn't like Mark didn't like him. It was more complicated than that, to the point where it kept Jackson up at night, leaving his thoughts racing of multiple possibilities. There were a lot of nights where his gaze was plastered to the ceiling, thinking about _why_ Mark is acting like this, more specifically pretending like they weren't sou-

"Jacks. Something wrong?" Mark suddenly whispered, cutting Jackson's thoughts like a knife.

"N-nothing hyung." Jackson stood up and stretching the remaining sleep off his body. Suddenly, Jackson pulled Mark off the couch, earning a soft grunt from the older and a questionable look. "Wanna come practice with me hyung?" Jackson pleaded with the best pout he can muster, knowing full well that Mark can _never_ resists his requests.

"Jacks…I'm so tired thoug-. Alright Jackson, that is completely not fair. Wipe those puppy dog eyes off your face." Mark groaned to himself as he pointed at Jackson's face, pretending to wipe it off for effect.

Jackson knew better than to continue arguing with Mark, for the older will surely end up winning, so he did the only thing he could do. He pulled Mark against his will towards the door, elated when he felt no resistance whatsoever from the older boy. Jackson let Mark go once they reached the hallway, making their way to the dance studio in the basement below them, glancing at Mark for a second, noticing a small smile in the corner of his lips. Without his own control, Jackson's own lips couldn't help but follow suit.

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

"Is something wrong Jacks?" Mark suddenly said as they entered the dance studio, effectively cutting off Jackson's rambling about how important adding cheese is to stews. Jackson turned his head sharply at Mark's sudden friendly accusation, surprised that the older had sensed something wrong. Though, Jackson didn't want to dampen the mood, so he decided to deflect Mark's question.

"I'm good hyung~. Which part of the choreography do you want to start at?" Jackson changed the subject, making his way towards the speaker in the room to plug in his mp3 player.

Before Jackson could even lift his left leg towards the opposite side of the room, Mark took a hold of his shoulder, completely forcing Jackson to turn towards the older, hypersensitive to the warm palm on his bare shoulder. Jackson knew what was coming next, so he decided to just let Mark inside a world that not a lot of people knew. He knew that the majority of the people he met in his life would describe him as an energizer bunny. However, he was more than a bottomless pit of energy, his thoughts usually a lot more deeper and inquisitive than most people would believe.

Truthfully, the reason why Jackson didn't vent or confide about his life often was because he was afraid that people will think of him differently as soon as he turned into a dark cloud. Jackson knew he wasn’t the most negative person in the world, but he was only human, his brain not being immune to life's hardships and obstacles. Jackson also knew that Mark wasn’t the one to judge someone for how they were feeling, making him feel more inclined to finally spill his emotions.

But, the anxiety and restlessness of finally performing was eating him from the inside, his thoughts steering dangerously close to his last dose of positivity. So, when Jackson felt Mark's palm on his shoulder and saw the older's pools laced with empathy and worry, Jackson didn't have a cell in his body to resist telling how he truly felt about their upcoming performances.

Honestly, another reason as to why Jackson felt more inclined to tell Mark was that he wanted his soulmate to not see him as a one dimensional character that only exuded light, knowing that his own hyper aggressive personality could be annoying and suffocating in high doses. Ultimately, Jackson knew that his love for Mark is what pushed him to open up a deeper aspect of him, desperate for Mark to understand him completely, knowing that one day, Mark will eventually know all his secrets. But for now, this was enough.

"Well…" Jackson started, instinctively putting one hand behind the crook of his neck, the other going through his blonde hair. "I'm pretty _damn_ nervous about next week-" Jackson continued as he motioned Mark to take a sit beside him on the floor, noticing that he had now acquired the older's full undivided attention.

Jackson took in a deep breath and started to let out _everything._

During the entirety of the time Jackson was mumbling about his worries and doubts to Mark about his abilities as a dancer and rapper, he noticed that Mark never once waned his empathetic glance, or the comforting way he was rubbing Jackson's back, as if to help him expel all the toxicity in his mind.

Jackson was extremely thankful for how much Mark seemed to care about his feelings, making him feel like he was the only person that mattered in Mark's world -despite the thought being so cliché and selfish-.

All his life, Jackson was showered with attention from both of his parents, both constantly making sure he was as happy as he could be. However, the way Mark gave his all into listening to Jackson and provided emotional support, seemed to have a different effect. Although, Jackson was used to attention from other people -being the loud and often wild person he was-, he craved Mark's attention like it was a drug, willing to do anything not to let those beautiful dark brown eyes stray too far away. But, he knew that they would have to _actually_ start dancing sooner or later, so he decided to end his rant, picking himself and Mark up together.

"Enough talk, let's start dancing~" Jackson said, flashing a bright and appreciative grin towards the auburn haired boy.

"You sure Jacks? We can still talk y'know?" Mark stated calmly, the look of empathy still laced in his eyes and posture.

Jackson closed the distance between them in one quick motion, embracing Mark around his arms, indulging the warmth that exuded from the older boy for only a moment before he pulled away with a smile. "Thanks hyung~" Jackson breathed lowly, noticing the faint pink blush resting on Mark's cheeks.

 

_He's so damn cute._

 

_I just want to hug him like a big ol teddy bear._

 

_Ashdkasldj_

 

"Let's start, shall we?" Jackson suggested as he sarcastically allowed his body to conform into a theatrical bow, earning a small muffled chuckle from Mark.

"You're so _damn_ extra." Mark said, rolling his eyes just as exaggerated as Jackson's bow.

"You _love_ me." Jackson squealed with a high pitched laugh, as he escaped from Mark's attempt at hitting his shoulder.

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

A few minutes into practicing their choreography, and Jackson was _already_ internally suffering, for a quite a _different_ reason.

 

_Ok. This is definitely illegal. I'm going to die if he doesn't stop. Please stop. Jesus Chris-_

 

Jackson choked in his own spit as he saw Mark's hips _thrust_ towards the sky, his own cheeks flushing a bright red, despite the fact that he was doing the exact same move. He cursed and praised JYP all at the same time for choosing such a _specific_ style of choreography for their performance. Honestly, Jackson couldn't control the way his eyes would linger on Mark's slim figure while the older swayed meticulously to the beat of the music. It wasn't helping _at all_ that Mark was sporting a white shirt, now translucent due to the sweat running down his white porcelain neck. If only he coul-

 

_Jackson. Get a hold of yourself you pervert._

 

Jackson mentally scolded himself, for his thoughts weren't exactly suitable for children, slapping himself continuously on his cheeks to force himself to focus. As he was punishing himself with his palms, he heard Mark's signature high pitched laugh; which he noted oddly matched his own.

"Why _are_ you doing that?" Mark managed to say in between spurts of laughter, doubling over when Jackson sent him a not-so-intimidating stare. "You look like you're beating yourself." Mark joked around, laughing even harder.

Jackson wasn't going to let Mark tease him without having some _fun_ himself. So he took a deep breath and impulsively decided to venture into deeper and unexplored territory, fueled by his inability to accept defeat. After all, you got to risk things in life once in a while.

Jackson began to walk dangerously slow towards Mark as he pulled a dirty smirk on his face. He noticed Mark's eyes widen ever so slightly, the previous laughter silenced by his gaze, only making Jackson even _more_ confident. "J-Jacks. What's u-up?" Mark mumbled, Jackson noticing the older take a single step back as he neared closer. Jackson could _sense_ the excitement and adrenaline building up in Mark's body, despite the older's body language depicting the opposite.

When Jackson finally reached Mark, now close enough to see the clear beads of sweat on Mark's defined jawline, Jackson let out a low chuckle deep within his chest. "J-Jacks, you're a-acting weird." The older taking another step back, Jackson following his footsteps slowly as to not increase the distance between them. Jackson could now _feel_ Mark's rising arousal on his own body, though there was now one emotion that wasn't present a few seconds before, Jackson unable to pinpoint exactly what it is.

Jackson decided to take his chances, fueled by his own impulsiveness and took a section of Mark's damp white shirt in between his thumb and index finger, pulling it back ever so slightly. "To answer your question _Mark Tuan_." Jackson paused as he locked onto Mark's wide eyes, noticing the older visibly shiver. "It's because of-" he husked as he pulled the section of the translucent shirt further back, Jackson peering ever so slightly into its contents. " _you._ " Jackson suddenly released Mark's shirt, a sloppy sound of the damp fabric connecting with Mark's chest reverberating around the room. Jackson soon heard Mark's breath hitch on his own set of ears, making the pool of heat in Jackson's lower stomach to rise.

Before Jackson could continue his advances, he noticed Mark's facial expression change for a split second, the unknown emotion he felt earlier on Mark now beginning to rise exponentially, hitting Jackson almost like a truck as he realized what emotion it was. It couldn’t be. Something was wrong. This isn't what he wanted.

 

_Shit._

 

_Fuck._

 

It was _fear._

 

As soon as Jackson realized that Mark was scared, he flinched away from Mark like he had touched a burner, forcing a tense laugh to ease the situation. Mark only looked at Jackson for a few moments, looking like he was about to say something, but ultimately deciding against it. They both stood apart from each other looking at the floor, space now in between them. Jackson really hoped that he hadn't hurt Mark in any way, which would be the completely opposite reaction he was hoping for. Questions and possibilities of why Mark was suddenly filled with fear ran through Jackson's mind, going around in useless circles. Maybe he did go too far, damn his hormones.

 

_I swear…_

 

_I swear I felt Mark wanting me to continue._

 

_I swear it…_

 

_I swea-_

 

"Mark-hyung, I'm s-sorry. I d-didn't mean to go that f-far. I p-promise. I'm s-sorry if I offended you. I don't really think things through. I shouldn't hav-" Jackson paused for a second just to catch his breath, head still facing the floor, eyes almost watering due to the consuming fear of hurting his soulmate. "I didn't k-know what came over me. I w-won't do it again. I p-promise hyung. Please forget what I did. I c-can treat you to d-dinner if you want to make it up to you. I h-hear there is a nearby restaurant that serves gamjatang [potato stew], since I k-know you like s-soup. Please f-forg-"

Before Jackson could continue going off into a tangent that could have ended in God who knows where, he felt a familiar palm rub the small of his back, instantly calming his nerves and effectively shutting his mouth. Jackson turned his watery gaze towards Mark, not before rubbing his eyes to prevent the older from seeing the premature tears hidden in his eyes.

"It's no worries Jacks. It was nothing. You have nothing to worry about." Mark consoled, Jackson noticing Mark's voice laced with empathy, but still tinted with bits of anxiety. "Let's just continue practicing, alright?" Mark finished with a smile, still rubbing Jackson's back. "You're such a flirt." Mark chuckled anxiously under his  breath as he added some distance between them, which Jackson thought was probably meant to defuse the awkwardness in the room.  Jackson only scoffed sarcastically in response before both boys proceeded to do what they were supposed to do in the first place, Jackson's head still moving in rapid circles.

As they were practicing the choreography in silence, the fast tempo of the music being the only sound filling the room, completely identical to how Jackson's mind was on fire. This was the exact confusion and complication that Jackson has been feeling for the past few days. It was like that time when Jackson had tried to cuddle with Mark a few days back, feeling a similar emotion of fear in Mark when he had closed the space in between them two.

Jackson swears that in the beginning of all of these situations, Mark had been pliant and even accepting to his advances. However, as soon as Jackson would be _too_ close, Mark would completely shut down and _that_ emotion would appear again. Jackson could honestly not wrap his head around as to why Mark is acting like this, often blaming himself for being too forward and scaring Mark off. Some days, he felt like him and Mark were soulmates -which they definitely are-, while some days, Jackson felt like Mark was _avoiding_ him.

Truthfully, Jackson knows that Mark loves him the _exact_ way he does, same in magnitude and intensity. He just _knew,_ because he could feel that strong emotion present in Mark's eyes when their gazes would find each other in a crowded room, or how lovingly Mark had just rubbed the small of his back, the feelings almost _palpable_ between them. There was no doubt in his mind that they were _meant_ to be. But why was Mark holding back? Why was Mark running away from something that could turn into a beautiful moment? Why would Mark pull him in one day, while push him out the next?

Was it because he didn't have his magical power yet? Jackson knows that when two soulmates see each other for the first time, their respective magic will awaken. He knows that Mark had quickly attained his the day after the first JYP Trainees' meeting, but he himself had nothing. _Nothing. Nada. Zero._

The fact the he didn't have a power scared Jackson a few days after realizing that Mark had magic but he didn’t. Which made him think that Mark _wasn't_ his soulmate, for if they were, he would have his magic around the same time as Mark. But to this day, he couldn't summon fire like Jaebum, conjure ice like Jinyoung or even heal wounds like Mark. Despite all that, Jackson ingrained it in his mind that him and Mark _were_ meant to be, and he has yet to figure out what type of magic he held within him; in order to save his sanity. Maybe his power wasn't as "showy" as Jaebum's or mouth-dropping like Mark's. For all he knew, he could be using his power right now and he wouldn't know at all. He just wishes that there was some _sign_ as to what his power could be. Since, if Mark didn't end up becoming his soulmate, he would literally feel the need to di-

"Jacks. You okay? You had the same frozen facial expression for the past few minutes." Mark said as he shook Jackson free of his self-induced stupor.

Jackson stared at Mark for a few seconds, before shaking himself free of the negative emotions clouding his head, hiding it in the back of his mind, not wanting to reel Mark in with his negativity. So, Jackson being _Jackson,_ he decided to opt to make the air around them more positive and energetic.  "I'm good hyung~" Jackson answered with a grin, his usual upbeat personality back in the room. "How 'bout we do some free-style to have a bit of fun before going in hard again?" Jackson suggested with a sly smirk as he made his way to the speaker to choose a more upbeat song.

"That sounds good." Mark exclaimed with a _significantly_ happier and genuine expression on his face, Jackson's favorite smile plastered on his face.

 

_God._

 

Jackson couldn't help but flash Mark his own pearly whites, his heart already beginning to thump harder. That smile. The way Mark's lips curved upwards was enough to erase Jackson's worries and doubts for now, forgetting about the distant and unknown future, knowing that the present holds a beautiful grinning Mark.

"You ready Jacks?" Mark asked encouragingly as he stretched himself one last time, Jackson's heart always jumping a little at the sound of the nickname Mark had coined just for him. Just like that, the air around them was once again filled with mirth and joy.

Right there and then, Jackson decided that he will continue playing an active role in showing Mark just how much he loves him, showering him with compliments and gifts until Mark opens his eyes completely. After all, the best things never do come easy.

"Ready when you are hyung~." Jackson chimed as he pushed the play button, concluding to himself that he was completely and utterly in love with Mark.

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

_My name is Jackson Wang,_

 

_And I'm completely,_

 

_Irrevocably,_

 

_Crazy about him._

 

_Although my mind currently houses thoughts of doubt,_

 

_Nervousness,_

 

_And most of all,_

 

_Fear._

 

_This is all because of the uncertainty that comes with the future._

 

_Our future._

 

_I can be impatient,_

 

_Wild,_

 

_And definitely impulsive._

 

_But I know deep down that he does love me,_

 

_Only needing to open his eyes fully,_

 

_Giving me a reason to completely forget about the future,_

 

_And focus on the present._

 

_Time can be a daunting aspect in life,_

 

_Never knowing what will happen in the next minute,_

 

_The next hour,_

 

_The next year,_

 

_Or even the next century._

 

_But what I do know,_

 

_Is that I will continue giving him parts of my feelings,_

 

_Showing him my true emotions piece by piece._

 

_Since I know for certain that my love for him will stand the test of time,_

 

_An immortal emotion that will be forever engraved in my heart,_

 

_Eternally._

 

***-***-***-***-***-***-***

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter :D Just wanted to let y'all know that the reason why Mark is acting like a dum-dum isn't the same reason as Jaebum (the real reason was hinted -or rather said- in the previous chapter :D ). 
> 
> Also, this is a slow burn fic, let me know how you guys are liking the pace so far :)
> 
> I've also decided that there will be some smut eventually, (although not for a while), since my other explicit fanfics seems to be getting good feedback :D. And come on….Markson and JJP. I couldn't resist. 
> 
> Like always, thank you so much for reading and stay tuned for more ^^
> 
> Take care~
> 
>  
> 
> PS: Any guesses as to what Jackson's magic power is? (*Hint* His power manifests in two ways (both previously hinted), but they are regarding the same 'thing'. *Hint*)


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